Evaluating a spiritually integrated intervention for depressed college students

With a sample of 65 mildly and moderately depressed undergraduates, the present study evaluated the effects of a spiritually integrated intervention as compared to a secular intervention and a no treatment control condition. The spiritual intervention and secular intervention were of equivalent length and were offered to participants via the internet. Participants completed criterion measures for psychological and spiritual well being at three time points during the course of the study: at the outset of the study, directly following the five-week interventions, and one month following the completion of the interventions. Results of statistical significance testing suggested that the explicit inclusion of spirituality in an intervention for depression does not offer resources that are unique to the problems of depression. More specifically, participants reported similar psychological improvement across all three conditions. However, follow-up and exploratory analyses suggested that participants who completed the spiritually integrated intervention reported less depression and more positive affect than other participants. Results from statistical and clinical significance testing are discussed. METHOD: Sixty-five BGSU students completed the entire study. All participants met criteria for mild or moderate depression as assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977). Participants included 54 woman and 11 men, all of whom were 18 years of age or older. The 65 participants were randomly assigned to one of the groups: the Spirituallly Integrated Intervention (SP) group. The Secular Intervention (SE) group, or the no.treatment control (C) group. When asked to rate their self-perceived religiosness in comparison to "the average person your age", 68% of participants rated themselves as Average. Above Average, or Whitin the Highest 10%. In a similar item, participants were asked to rate their self.perceived spirituality as compared to their same-age peers. Ninety -one percent of participants rated themselves as Average. Above Average, or Withim the Highest 10%.