Spiritual Struggle in Parents of Children with Cystic Fibrosis Increases Odds of Depression

Abstract

Objective: Spiritual struggle (SS) is associated with poorer health outcomes including depression. The study's main objectives were to characterize change in depression over time, examine longitudinal associations between SS and depression, and determine the extent to which experiencing SS at baseline was predictive of developing depression at follow-up.

Methods: A two-site study collected questionnaire responses of parents (N = 112; 72% female) of children with cystic fibrosis followed longitudinally. Generalized linear mixed effects modeling examined the association between depression and SS over time and assessed potential mediators, moderators, and confounders.

Results: Prevalence of depression increased from baseline to follow-up (OR: 3.6, P < 0.0001), regardless of degree of SS. Parents with Moderate/Severe SS were more likely to have depressive symptoms, compared to parents without SS (OR: 15.2, P = 0.0003) and parents who had Mild SS (OR: 10.2, P = 0.0001). Being female and feeling less "at peace" also significantly predicted increased depression (OR: 2.5, P = 0.0397, and OR: 1.15, P = 0.0419, resp.). Experiencing SS at baseline was not predictive of having depression subsequently at follow-up.

Conclusions: Parents experiencing SS were significantly more likely to report depressive symptoms. Interventions to reduce SS have shown efficacy and may be considered.