Neurobiological correlates of religious coping among older adults with and without mood disorders: An exploratory study

David H Rosmarin; Poornima Kumar; Caroline C Kaufman; Mia Drury; David Harper; Brent P Forester

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2024.111812

Neurobiological correlates of religious coping among older adults with and without mood disorders: An exploratory study

Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2024 Mar 26:341:111812. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2024.111812. Online ahead of print.

Authors

David H Rosmarin¹, Poornima Kumar², Caroline C Kaufman³, Mia Drury⁴, David Harper⁵, Brent P Forester⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Spirituality & Mental Health Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States. Electronic address: drosmarin@mclean.harvard.edu.
² Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Laboratory for Translational and Affective Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Spirituality & Mental Health Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States.
⁴ Spirituality & Mental Health Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Geriatric Psychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Geriatric Psychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States; Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, United States.

PMID: 38631136
DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2024.111812

Abstract

In this study, 32 older adults with and without mood disorders completed resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and measures of demographics, spirituality/religion, positive and negative religious coping, and depression. Group Independent Component Analysis identified and selected three a priori resting state networks [cingulo-opercular salience (cSN), central executive (CEN) and Default Mode Networks (DMN)] within the Triple Network Mode. We investigated associations of religious coping with within- and between-network connectivity, controlling for age. Insular connectivity within the cSN was associated with negative religious coping. Religious coping was associated with anti-correlation between the DMN and CEN even when controlling for depression.

Keywords: Depression; Geriatric; Neuroimaging; Resting state; Spiritual struggles.