The St. Jude Novena: Prayer, a Healing Method for Roman Catholic Latinos with Depression Utilizing the Beck Depression Inventory II

The role of prayer is frequently overlooked in mental health, in particular with relationship to various cultures such as the Latino community. While studies have been conducted for Latinos with depression the link of spirituality and its usefulness in treatment has not been a primary focus of previous research. This study sought to examine the role prayer had on the mental health issue of depression for Roman Catholic Latinos. The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) was used to measure the self-reported symptoms of depression prior and after the use of a nine day prayer regimen called the Saint Jude novena. The researcher sought to determine if prayer was a viable intervention to reduce symptoms of depression, the value of prayer for Roman Catholics Latinos and what was the difference experienced by male verses female participants. A total of 17 self-identified Latino and Roman Catholic participants completed the study, of those participants 1 was male and 16 were female. This ratio draws light to the disparity in male participants in mental health research. The sample size was small and rendered no significance on the paired t-test which was conducted on the pre and post test scores of the BDI-II. However, all participants identified that they currently practiced their faith, prayer was part of their daily life, and 88.2% had a prior history of praying a novena. Overall, client religious and spiritual practices remain an important component for Latino healing however further studies are necessary to understand the gap of how prayer or religion play a part in successful mental health treatment.