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The associations between religion, bereavement and depression among Hong Kong nurses
Teris Cheung1, Paul H Lee2, Paul S F Yip3
1School of Nursing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. teris.cheung@polyu.edu.hk.
Background:
This paper is to examine the associations between religion, bereavement and depression among nursing professionals using a cross-sectional survey design. There is little empirical evidence in Asia suggesting that religion may either increase or lower the likelihood of nursing professionals being depressed.
Methods:
We analyzed the results of a Mental Health Survey soliciting data from 850 Hong Kong nurses (aged 21-59, 178 males) regarding their mental well-being and associated factors, including participants' socio-economic profile and recent life-events. Multiple linear regression analyses examined associations between religion, bereavement and depression.
Results:
Religious faith is weakly associated with lower self-reported depression in bereavement.
Conclusions:
Our findings confirm those studies suggesting that religion positively affects mental health and yet healthcare providers have yet to assimilate this insight.
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