Introduction: Depression is the most common mental disorder in adolescents, with negative consequences including school failure, family and social dysfunction, mental illness, suicide attempts and suicide. Since one of the crucial factors in mental health is religion, the study investigated the relationship between depression and religious beliefs in female high school students of Masjed Soleyman in 2016.
Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional survey, sampling was conducted in cluster from from female high school students of Masjed Soleyman. For gathering data, Janbozorgi depression questionnaire for children (CADs) and Golzari Religiosity Questionnaire were used.
Results: In this study, 173 students were enrolled with a mean age of 13.35 ± 1.08 years. The average depression score was 9.18, indicating moderate depression in these students. Generally, 88.4% of the students had some degrees of depression. There was direct correlation between depression scores and scores of religiosity, but it was not statistically significant (P = 0.07). The mean depression score with the mean dimensions of private religious behavior and actual behavior had statistically significant negative correlation (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: According to the results, strengthening the religious behaviors of students can lead to reduction of the incidence of depression and its treatment should be considered by education directors’ policies.