Religiosity and the psychological outcomes of trauma: A systematic review of quantitative studies

Abstract

This is a broad review examining the relationships between religiosity and the psychological outcomes of trauma. Previous studies showed that some constructs of religiosity are associated with lower severity of symptoms of mental disorders, whereas others, for instance, negative religious coping, predict deteriorated mental health. A systematic review of peer-reviewed quantitative studies was conducted to examine the patterns of relationships between religiosity and psychological outcomes of trauma, potential causal relationships, and specific effect of religiosity on the outcomes on trauma. A total of 79 quantitative studies were included. The majority focused on military trauma or various types of traumatic exposure in the general population. Most of the studies employed a cross-sectional design. The associations between religiosity and psychological outcomes of trauma depend on the concept of religion used in a study, type of trauma. There is not enough evidence to support the causal effect of religiosity.