The Correlation of Religious Orientation with Depression Among Critical Care and Emergency Room Nurses

Nurses who work in special care units are at great risk of developing mental health problems. The present study was performed to examine the correlation of religious orientation with depression among critical care and emergency room nurses.
This descriptive, analytical study was performed in 2015 on 109 nurses working in critical care units and emergency rooms of Valiasr and Imam Reza hospitals, Birjand, Iran. The nurses were recruited through census sampling. Data were collected using Beck Depression Inventory and Allport’s Religious Orientation Scale. For statistical analysis, independent sample t test, one-way analysis of variance, Tukey’s post hoc test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient test were performed, using SPSS v. 16 at a significance level of less than 0.05.
The nurses’ mean scores of extrinsic and intrinsic religious orientations were 31.56 ± 7.39 and 29.73 ± 4.26, respectively. There was no significant correlation between the general religious orientation and depression (r, 0.02; P = 0.83). However, depression was correlated negatively with intrinsic religious orientation (r, -0.37; P = 0.001) and positively with extrinsic religious orientation (r, 0.24; P = 0.01). Overall, 27.5% and 0.9% of nurses had mild and moderate depression, respectively. Depression was significantly correlated with the nurses’ gender and income (P = 0.01).
Given the significant correlation of depression with intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientations, it seems that health authorities need to develop plans for purifying and strengthening nurses’ religious beliefs.