Abstract
Religious coping is one potential strategy to manage stressors. Positive religious coping has been linked to better physical and mental health outcomes, while negative religious coping has been associated with increased stress and anxiety. The primary objective of this study was to examine individuals’ use of religious coping during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and religious coping in a national sample of 970 individuals located within the USA recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) between September 12, 2020, and September 25, 2020. Findings indicate negative religious coping is most strongly associated with COVID-19 anxiety, as higher levels of negative religious coping were positively related to COVID-19 anxiety. In a moderated multiple regression wherein positive religious coping and negative religious coping were included in an interaction term, only negative religious coping was significantly associated with COVID-19 anxiety. This may have been due, in part, because individual’s typical religious engagement was disrupted by social distancing and isolation measures. When accounting for participant age, sex, religious beliefs and behaviors, and negative religious coping, positive religious coping was negatively, although weakly, associated with COVID-19 anxiety. These findings suggest that negative religious coping has a stronger association with COVID-19 anxiety than positive religious coping.
Highlights
Near the end of 2019, COVID-19 was identified by the World Health Organization and within months was rapidly spreading globally
A survey conducted by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) early in the US pandemic response noted that 36% of Americans reported that the COVID-19 was having a serious impact on their mental health, with most respondents (59%) reporting the COVID-19 as having significant negative impact on their day-to-day lives (American Psychiatric Association, 2020a)
Sex and age were correlated with predictor and outcome variables and were controlled for in all subsequent analyses. These findings suggested a need to further examine the relationship between religious coping, religious behaviors, and COVID-19 anxiety (Cov-Anx), through a series of Positive religious coping (PRC) Negative religious coping (NRC) Religious Beliefs and Behaviors Questionnaire (RBBQ)-Exp RBBQ-Freq Cov-Anx Age
Summary
Near the end of 2019, COVID-19 was identified by the World Health Organization and within months was rapidly spreading globally. To attempt to contain the spread of the virus, the USA enacted a number of measures, including mask wearing, social distancing, and even shelter at home, or quarantine, orders in many states and municipalities. Six months later a second survey (APA, 2020b) found that 62% of respondents indicated feeling more anxious than they had at the same time last year, up from 36% averaged over the previous three years, with 75% of respondents listing COVID19 as a top concern These findings are consistent with a review by Brooks et al (2020) reporting that the consequences of the types of quarantine measures like those enacted for the COVID-19 pandemic can have devastating effects on mental health, including exhaustion, isolation, boredom, frustration, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress
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