Prior research has established that perceived distributive unfairness is associated with poor mental health. The purpose of this study is to examine whether religion moderates this association and whether gender conditions the moderating effects of religion. Using data from the 2012 Korean General Social Survey (N = 1,375), the current analyses show that perceived distributive unfairness is positively associated with depression. However, each of the two indicators of religion—religious attendance and salience—weakens the positive association between perceived distributive unfairness and depression among women, but not men. These observations suggest that religion provides a stress-buffering effect against perceived distributive unfairness only for women. Thus, the findings of this study highlight the gendered ways that religion shapes the association between perceived distributive unfairness and mental health. I discuss the theoretical implications of these findings for views about the complex interrelationships among stress, coping resources, gender, and mental health.
BiermanAlex. 2006. “Does Religion Buffer the Effects of Discrimination on Mental Health? Differing Effects by Race.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion45:551–65.
4.
BiermanAlexLeeYeonjungSchiemanScott. 2018. “Chronic Discrimination and Sleep Problems in Late Life: Religious Involvement as Buffer.” Research on Aging40:933–55.
5.
DeAngelisReed T.EllisonChristopher G.2018. “Aspiration Strain and Mental Health: The Education-contingent Role of Religion.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion57(2):341–64.
6.
EllisonChristopher G.1993. “Religious Involvement and Self-perception among Black Americans.” Social Forces71:1027–55.
7.
EllisonChristopher G.GeorgeLinda K.1994. “Religious Involvement, Social Ties, and Social Support in a Southeastern Community.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion33:46–61.
8.
FeldmanS. ShirleyFisherLawrenceRansomDonald C.DimiceliSue. 1995. “Is ‘What Is Good for the Goose, Good for the Gander?’ Sex Differences in Relations between Adolescent Coping and Adult Adaptation.” Journal of Research on Adolescence5(3):333–59.
9.
GilliganCarol. 1982. In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
10.
GlockCharles Y.StarkRodney. 1965. Religion and Society in Tension. Chicago, IL: Rand McNally.
11.
González-MoralesM. GloriaPeiróJosé M.RodríguezIsabelGreenglassEsther R.2006. “Coping and Distress in Organizations: The Role of Gender in Work Stress.” International Journal of Stress Management13(2):228–48.
12.
HanChangsuJoSangmee AhnKwakJi-HyunPaeChi-UnSteffensDavidJoInhoParkMoon Ho. 2008. “Validation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) Korean Version in the Elderly Population: The AGE Study.” Comprehensive Psychiatry49(2):218–23.
13.
HegtvedtKaren A.ParrisChristie L.2014. “Emotions in Justice Processes.” Pp. 103–25 in Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions. Vol. 2: Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research, edited by StetsJ. E.TurnerJ. H.New York: Springer.
14.
HomansGeorge C.1974. Social Behavior: Its Elementary Forms. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World.
15.
Jaime-CastilloAntonio M.FernándezJuan J.ValienteCeliaMarylDamon. 2016. “Collective Religiosity and the Gender Gap in Attitudes towards Economic Redistribution in 86 Countries, 1990-2008.” Social Science Research57:17–30.
16.
JostJohn T.HawkinsCarlee BethNosekBrian A.HennesErin P.SternChadlyGoslingSamuel D.GrahamJesse. 2014. “Belief in a Just God (and a Just Society): A System Justification Perspective on Religious Ideology.” Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology34(1):56–81.
17.
JungJong Hyun. 2014. “Religious Attendance, Stress, and Happiness in South Korea: Do Gender and Religious Affiliation Matter?” Social Indicators Research118(3):1125–45.
18.
JungJong Hyun. 2018. “Country Level Differences in the Effects of Financial Hardship on Life Satisfaction: The Role of Religious Context and Age-contingent Buffering.” Society and Mental Health8(2):123–40.
19.
Kelley-MooreJessica A.FerraroKenneth F.2001. “Functional Limitations and Religious Service Attendance: Barrier and Benefit Mechanisms.” Journal of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences56(6):365–73.
20.
KimJae-WooLimChaeyoonFalciChristina. 2020. “Subjective Social Class, Perceived Quality of Social Relationships, and Happiness: A Case of Mediation and Moderation across Gender.” International Sociology35:312–35. doi:10.1177/0268580920906375.
21.
KimSangwookKimJibumMoonYonggapShinSeungbae. 2013. Korean General Social Survey 2012. Seoul, South Korea: Sungkyunkwan University Press. (In Korean)
22.
KrajewskiHenryk T.GoffinRichard D.2005. “Predicting Occupational Coping Responses: The Interactive Effect of Gender and Work Stressors Context.” Journal of Occupational Health Psychology10(1):44–53.
23.
LeeHaenaAngShannon. 2019. “Productive Activities and Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Depression: Does the Association Vary by Gender?” Sociological Perspectives. doi:10.1177/0731121419892622.
24.
LeeMin-AhKawachiIchiro. 2019. “Perceived Unfairness and Psychological Distress: Less Harmful as Age Increases?” Social Justice Research32:1–25.
25.
LeeTimothy S.2009. Born Again: Evangelicalism in Korea. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.
26.
LenguaLiliana J.StormshakElizabeth A.2000. “Gender, Gender Roles, and Personality: Gender Differences in the Prediction of Coping and Psychological Symptoms.” Sex Roles 43(11/12):787–820.
27.
LernerMelvin J.1980. The Belief in a Just World: A Fundamental Delusion. New York: Plenum.
28.
MarxKarlEngelsFriedrich. [1843] 1964. On Religion. Chico, CA: Scholar’s Press.
29.
McLanahanSaraAdamsJulia. 1987. “Parenthood and Psychological Well-being.” Annual Review of Sociology13:237–57.
30.
MirolaWilliam A.1999. “A Refuge for Some: Gender Differences in the Relationship between Religious Involvement and Depression.” Sociology of Religion60(4):419–37.
31.
MirowskyJohnRossCatherine E.2003. Social Causes of Psychological Distress. 2nd ed.New Brunswick, NJ: Aldine Transaction.
32.
NarisadaAtsushi. 2017. “Socioeconomic Status and the Relationship between Underreward and Distress: Buffering-resource or Status-disconfirmation?” Social Justice Research30(3):191–220.
33.
NarisadaAtsushiSchiemanScott. 2016. “Underpaid but Satisfied: The Protective Functions of Security.” Work and Occupations43(2):215–55.
34.
NorrisPippaInglehartRonald. 2004. Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
35.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2017. The Pursuit of Gender Equality: An Uphill Battle?Paris, France: OECD Publishing.
36.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2019. Health at a Glance 2019: OECD Indicators. Paris, France: OECD Publishing.
37.
OrrJoannaTobinKatyCareyDanielKennyRose AnneMcGarrigleChristine. 2019. “Religious Attendance, Religious Importance, and the Pathways to Depressive Symptoms in Men and Women Aged 50 and over Living in Ireland.” Research on Aging41(9):891–911.
38.
PargamentKenneth I.2011. “Religion and Coping: The Current State of Knowledge.” Pp. 269–88 in Oxford Handbook of Stress, Health, and Coping, edited by FolkmanS.New York: Oxford University Press.
39.
PearlinLeonard I.1999. “The Stress Process Revisited: Reflections on Concepts and Their Interrelationships.” Pp. 395–415 in Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health, edited by AneshenselC. S.PhelanJ. C.New York: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
40.
PutnamRobert D.CampbellDavid E.2010. American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. New York: Simon & Schuster.
41.
SchiemanScottBiermanAlexEllisonChristopher G.2010. “Religious Involvement, Beliefs about God, and the Sense of Mattering Among Older Adults.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion49:517–35.
42.
SchiemanScottTaylorCatherine J.NarisadaAtsushiPudrovskaTetyana. 2020. “Underpaid Boss: Gender, Job Authority, and the Association between Underreward and Depression.” Work and Occupations47(1):44–82.
43.
SchnabelLandon. 2020. “Opiate of the Masses? Inequality, Religion, and Political Ideology in the United States.” Social Forces. Published electronically May6. doi:10.1093/sf/soaa027.
44.
SchnittkerJason. 2005. “Chronic Illness and Depressive Symptoms in Late Life.” Social Science & Medicine60:13–23.
45.
ShahSarah. 2019. “Does Religion Buffer the Effects of Discrimination on Distress for Religious Minorities? The Case of Arab Americans.” Society and Mental Health9(2):171–91.
46.
SoltFrederickHabelPhilipGrantJ. Tobin. 2011. “Economic Inequality, Relative Power, and Religiosity.” Social Science Quarterly92(2):447–65.
47.
StarkRodney. 1964. “Class, Radicalism, and Religious Involvement in Great Britain.” American Sociological Review29(5):698–706.
48.
WeberMax. [1915] 1946. “The Social Psychology of the World Religions.” Pp. 267–301 in From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, edited by GerthH. H.MillsC. W.Oxford: Oxford University Press.
49.
WeberMax. [1922] 1963. The Sociology of Religion. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
50.
WheatonBlair. 1999. “The Nature of Stressors.” Pp. 176–97 in A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health: Social Contexts, Theories, and Systems, edited by HorwitzA. V.ScheidT. L.New York: Cambridge University Press.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
