Spirituality, Meaning in Life, and Depressive Symptomatology in Individuals with Alcohol Dependence

A growing body of evidence points to the important role of spirituality and meaning in life in treating people with medical and psychological conditions. The purpose of the present study was twofold: first, to examine the relationship among meaning in life, spirituality, and their dimensions to alcoholism and depressive symptomatology; and second, to explore the differences in spirituality and meaning of life among individuals of low, moderate, and high depressive symptomatology. Results indicated that spirituality and meaning in life were statistically significantly associated to alcoholism and depressive symptoms. In particular, depression was statistically significantly correlated with the onset of alcohol use and the dimensions of spirituality and meaning in life. Implications for counseling and psychotherapy are discussed. © 2012 Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC