How Does Religious Orientation Affect Depression? A Field Research on Austrian Muslim-Turkish Immigrants

Yıl 2025, Sayı: 8, 443 - 479, 30.09.2025

Mustafa Koç

https://doi.org/10.55709/tetkik.1680195

Öz

This article investigates, through a multidimensional approach, the impact of religious orientation patterns on the levels of depression among Muslim-Turkish migrant individuals residing in Austria, a country with one of the largest Turkish-origin populations in Europe. The primary objective of the research is to evaluate, via descriptive and comparative quantitative analyses, the relationships between intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientations and the cognitive, affective, and somatic subdimensions of depression. The field study, conducted in 2025, utilized data collected from a sample of 560 Muslim-Turkish migrants diverse in terms of age, gender, socio-economic status, marital status, educational background, type of occupation, and length of diasporic residence. Data collection instruments included the Personal Information Form, the Age-Universal Religious Orientation Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. The data were analyzed through SPSS 26.0 software using parametric tests, including correlation analysis, independent samples t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (anova). The findings reveal that intrinsic religious orientation is negatively and significantly associated with all subdimensions of depression, while extrinsic religious orientation demonstrates positive and statistically significant correlations with these dimensions. These results suggest that intrinsic religiosity, by fostering psychological flexibility, cognitive coherence, and spiritual integrity, may mitigate depressive symptoms, while extrinsic religiosity, grounded in superficial and externally motivated belief structures, tends to be associated with heightened psychological vulnerability. Moreover, socio-demographic variables were found to exert significant effects on both religious orientations and depression levels.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Psychology of religion , Intrinsic religious orientation , Extrinsic religious orientation , Depression , Muslim-Turkish immigrants

Etik Beyan

This research was reviewed and approved for ethical compliance by the Ethics Committee for Human Research in Social and Human Sciences at Eskişehir Osmangazi University, under the decision dated 24 March 2025 and numbered 2025-06.

Dinsel Yönelim Depresyonu Nasıl Etkiler? Avusturyalı Müslüman-Türk Göçmenler Üzerine Bir Alan Araştırması

Öz

Bu makale, Avrupa’da en yoğun Türkiye kökenli göçmen nüfusa sahip ülkelerden biri olması nedeniyle seçilen Avusturya’da yaşayan Müslüman-Türk göçmen bireylerin dinsel yönelim biçimlerinin depresyon düzeyleri üzerindeki etkilerini çok boyutlu bir yaklaşımla incelemektedir. Araştırmanın temel amacı, iç-güdümlü ve dış-güdümlü dinsel yönelimlerin depresyonun bilişsel, duygusal ve somatik alt boyutlarıyla ilişkilerini betimleyici ve karşılaştırmalı nicel analizlerle değerlendirmektir. 2025 yılında gerçekleştirilen saha araştırmasında, yaş, cinsiyet, sosyo-ekonomik düzey, medeni durum, eğitim düzeyi, meslek türü ve diasporik yaşam süresi açısından çeşitlilik gösteren 560 kişilik Müslüman-Türk göçmen örnekleminden elde edilen veriler kullanılmıştır. Veri toplama araçları olarak Kişisel Bilgi Formu, Her Yaş İçin Uygun Dinsel Eğilim Ölçeği ve Beck Depresyon Ölçeği uygulanmıştır. Elde edilen veriler SPSS 26.0 programı aracılığıyla analiz edilmiş; korelasyon analizi, bağımsız örneklem t-testi ve tek yönlü varyans analizi (anova) gibi parametrik testler kullanılmıştır. Bulgular, iç-güdümlü dinsel yönelimin depresyonun tüm alt boyutlarıyla negatif ve anlamlı ilişkiler kurduğunu; dış-güdümlü dinsel yönelimin ise bu boyutlarla pozitif ve istatistiksel olarak anlamlı ilişkiler gösterdiğini ortaya koymuştur. İç-güdümlü dindarlığın psikolojik esneklik, bilişsel tutarlılık ve ruhsal bütünlük sağlayarak depresif belirtileri azaltabileceği; dış-güdümlü dinsel yönelimin ise yüzeysel ve dışsal motivasyonlara dayalı inanç biçimleri nedeniyle psikolojik kırılganlıkla ilişkili olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır. Ayrıca, sosyo-demografik değişkenlerin ise hem dinsel yönelim hem de depresyon düzeyleri üzerinde anlamlı etkileri olduğu saptanmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Din Psikolojisi , İç-güdümlü Dinsel Yönelim , Dış-güdümlü Dinsel Yönelim , Depresyon , Müslüman-Türk Göçmenler

Etik Beyan

Bu çalışma, Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi Sosyal ve Beşeri Bilimler İnsan Araştırmaları Etik Kurulu’nun 24.03.2025 tarihli ve 2025-06 sayılı kararı ile etik açıdan uygun bulunarak onaylanmıştır.

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