Abstract
Objective: The study was designed to examine the differential effects of spirituality on the mental health of believers and non-believers coping with adversities. Method: Spirituality, “will-to-exist-live-and-survive (WTELS)”, cumulative traumas, perceived posttraumatic growth, psychopathology, existential anxieties, self-esteem, and reappraisal were measured in two samples of main believers (Egypt, Turkey, and Kuwait, N = 1210) and mostly non- believers (UK, N = 178). The study used path analysis supplemented by PROCESS macro and multigroup invariance to analyze the data. Results： identified two positive invariant coping paths for believers, one through WTELS and the other through spirituality. A similar positive path of WTELS, but not spirituality, was found in the non-believers. Conclusion: While believers and non-believers utilize their WTELS pathway to cope with adversities, the believers utilize the additional pathway of spirituality. The non- believers still utilize self-transcendence strategies of non-theistic or secular spirituality. The results have conceptual and clinical implications for developing differential prevention and intervention strategies.
Highlights
Coping with adversities may have different pathways in those who believe in a higher power, and those who may not believe
The interfaith spirituality (IFS) scale was significantly correlated with religiosity, self-esteem, emotion regulation strategies of reappraisal and suppression, will to exist/live and survive, and perceived posttraumatic growth (PTG)
It was negatively significantly correlated with psychopathology, and existential anxieties
Summary
Coping with adversities may have different pathways in those who believe in a higher power, and those who may not believe. People who experience existential threats encounter a crisis of the meaning and purpose of life and existence. They may experience existential anxieties about the future of their survival (Davis et al, 2003; Frankl, 2000). Spirituality usually emerges as one outcome of this process. These dynamics may differ between believers and non-believers in a higher power. The differences in these dynamics between believers and non-believers (e.g., atheists) are poorly understood
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