Direct and Indirect Links Between Religious Coping and Posttraumatic Growth Among Muslims Who Lost Their Children Due to Traffic Accidents

Abstract

This study applied a cross-sectional design and used a sample of 204 Muslim parents who lost their children due to traffic accidents, to answer two questions: (1) do positive religious coping (PRC) and negative religious coping (NRC) predict posttraumatic growth (PTG) among Muslims?; (2) are the links between the two types of religious coping and PTG direct or indirect? Three potential mediators between religious coping and PTG were examined: meaning in life, self-control, and social support. Analyses showed that: (1) a direct, moderate positive link existed between PRC and PTG, and; (2) the link between NRC and PTG was indirect and mediated by meaning in life and self-control. Specifically, higher levels of NRC were linked to lower levels of both meaning in life and self-control, which in turn were linked to lower levels of PTG. The findings suggest that in contrast to PRC that is likely to be inherently linked to PTG, there is nothing inherent in NRC that corresponds to PTG.