The association of daily spiritual experiences with depression among Head Start staff

Abstract

Depression is common among early childhood education (ECE) staff and can impair children’s learning. Among adults, greater spirituality is associated with a lower risk of depression, while adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with a higher risk. The purpose of this study was to determine whether ECE staff who reported more frequent daily spiritual experiences had a lower prevalence of depression, and whether this association was present across a range of exposures to ACEs. In the 2012 Pennsylvania Head Start Staff Wellness Survey, we collected data from 2105 Head Start and Early Head Start staff on their daily spiritual experiences (Daily Spiritual Experience Scale [DSES] score), ACE scores (count of exposure to eight categories of childhood adversity), and depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score ≥16). Among survey participants, 97.1% were female and 56.0% were ≥40 years of age. Depression was reported by 24.4% and ≥3 ACEs by 22.8%. Across quartiles of daily spiritual experiences (DSES score) from lowest to highest, the prevalence of depression decreased significantly (32.7%, 27.2%, 20.1%, and 17.2%, respectively [p < .001]), after adjusting for variables such as gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, and indicators of economic hardship. This inverse association was also present at each level of ACEs. For example, in the subgroup reporting ≥3 ACEs, the adjusted prevalence (95% confidence interval) of depression was 17.4% (27.2%, 7.7%) lower for those in the highest quartile of DSES scores compared to those in the lowest quartile. Among ECE staff working in Head Start, more frequent daily spiritual experiences were associated with a lower risk of depression across a range of exposures to ACEs. Supporting the spirituality of adults working in ECE may reduce their depressive symptoms, which could strengthen their relationships with children and families and improve children’s outcomes.