Late-Life Depressive Symptoms, Religiousness, and Mood in the Last Week of Life
Table 3
Mood in the last week of life, as reported by proxy respondents of deceased sample members of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam between 1995 and 1998: associations with aspects of religiousness, stratified for previous depressive symptoms.
Depressed mood in last week of life (according to proxy)(a)
Sense of peace with approaching end of life (according to proxy)(b)
Wald
OR
95% CI
Wald
OR
95% CI
Previously nondepressed
Church members versus nonaffiliated
171
0.1
.739
0.88
0.42–1.86
151
2.3
.129
1.92
0.83–4.45
Church attendance [1–5]
173
0.0
.942
1.01
0.83–1.23
153
4.5
.034
1.31
1.02–1.68
Orthodox beliefs [0–6]
131
0.1
.770
0.97
0.81–1.17
123
0.6
.433
1.08
0.89–1.33
Salience of religion [0–8]
131
0.8
.360
0.92
0.76–1.11
124
1.3
.250
1.14
0.91–1.41
Salience according to proxy [0–8]
173
0.1
.707
1.02
0.91–1.15
152
4.1
.042
1.15
1.00–1.32
Previously depressed (CES-D ≥ 16)
Church members versus nonaffiliated
45
4.9
.028
9.05
1.28–64.02
41
0.7
.412
0.51
0.10–2.56
Church attendance [1–5]
45
6.4
.011
2.32
1.21–4.44
41
1.1
.300
0.79
0.51–1.23
Orthodox beliefs [0–6]
32
3.5
.060
1.58
0.98–2.55
30
1.1
.299
1.24
0.83–1.86
Salience of religion [0–8]
32
1.6
.207
1.41
0.83–2.40
30
1.8
.174
0.68
0.39–1.18
Salience according to proxy [0–8]
44
4.0
.046
1.40
1.00–1.93
41
0.4
.540
0.92
0.70–1.20
Results printed in bold are statistically significant (italics: trend).
(a)Adjusted for effects by physical distress (according to proxy respondent) and cognitive decline (according to proxy respondent).
(b)Adjusted for effects by age of death, physical distress (according to proxy respondent), and expectance of death/awareness of the approaching end (according to proxy).
