The association between spirituality and depression in parents caring for children with developmental disabilities: social support and/or last resort

Associations between spirituality and depression were examined in parents of children with developmental disabilities using both quantitative and qualitative methodology. Spirituality was positively associated with depression, whereas social support was negatively related; parents with higher spiritual beliefs and lower levels of support had higher depression scores. Themes emerging from interviews were spiritual/religious coping as a way of dealing with difficulty, as a last resort, and as a form of release from their situation. Associations between spirituality and depression in these parents are more complex than previously thought.