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OBJECTIVE	Religious involvement may help individuals with chronic medical illness cope better with physical disability and other life changes .
OBJECTIVE	We examine the relationships between religiosity , depressive symptoms , and positive emotions in persons with major depression and chronic illness .
METHODS	129 persons who were at least somewhat religious/spiritual were recruited into a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of religious vs. secular cognitive behavioral therapy .
METHODS	Reported here are the relationships at baseline between religious involvement and depressive symptoms , purpose in life , optimism , generosity , and gratefulness using standard measures .
RESULTS	Although religiosity was unrelated to depressive symptoms ( F = 0.96 , p = 0.43 ) and did not buffer the disability-depression relationship ( B = -1.56 , SE 2.90 , p = 0.59 ) , strong relationships were found between religious indicators and greater purpose , optimism , generosity , and gratefulness ( F = 7.08 , p < 0.0001 ) .
CONCLUSIONS	Although unrelated to depressive symptoms in the setting of major depression and chronic medical illness , higher religious involvement is associated with positive emotions , a finding which may influence the course of depression over time .

