Religious Coping Strategies in Patients With Post-traumatic Growth Due to COVID-19: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 crisis has caused a wave of stress, psychological disorders and physical problems in the world, but some people experience post-traumatic growth despite these problems. The aim of this study was to explain the religious coping strategies of growth based on the experiences of patients with COVID-19. Methods: A qualitative research design was conducted using content analysis method. Twenty-five participants were selected using purposive sampling and interviewed using semi-structured and in-depth interviews. Purposeful sampling was used to achieve data saturation. Data were analyzed according to the step-by-step process of Brown and Clark content analysis using MAXQDA software. Results: Data analysis resulted in 386 primary codes, 18 basic themes, 11 organizing themes. Religious coping strategies of post-traumatic growth in patients with COVID-19 were: “Spiritual reflection”, “Positive religious framing”, “Prayer”, “Religious benevolence”, “Invocation”, “Trusting”, “Religious hope”, “Religious modeling”, “Religious acceptance”, “Preparation for Death”, and “Seeking Religious support”. Conclusion: Positive religious coping strategies significantly contribute to post-traumatic growth in patients with COVID-19. The findings of the present study can be used to design scales for measuring religious coping strategies, design and effectiveness of intervention programs to help COVID-19 patients to cope with disease stress and facilitate post-traumatic growth.