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It has been suggested that religiosity helps prevent depression in older people. This study examines the association between religious involvement and depression in older Dutch citizens and focuses on models of the mechanism in which religious involvement has an impact on other factors related to depression. The subjects were 2,817 older adults aged 55–85 years living in the community who participated in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Religious involvement was assessed using items on frequency of church attendance and strength of church affiliation. Further data were collected on physical health, size of social network, social suppoor, sense of mastery and selfesteem. As in North American studies, religious involvement appeared to be inversely associated with depression, both …