Divine Control Research Articles

The influence of fatalistic beliefs and risk perceptions on road safety attitudes in Latin America; A two-country study

Road safety is a major challenge in the Latin American region; however, there is a significant lack of research undertaken there. To contribute to addressing this gap, this paper reports on an exploration of the antecedents of traffic safety attitudes in two Latin American contexts: Brazil and Ecuador. Building on related work undertaken in other countries, the research explored the relationships between fatalistic beliefs, traffic risk perceptions, and road safety attitudes, while accounting for age, gender, and exposure to the road environment. Data from 2432 individuals, analysed using Structural Equation Modelling, revealed differences in the extent to which different fatalistic belief constructs (including divine control, luck, helplessness, internality, and general fatalism) were related to road safety attitudes. Moreover, fatalistic beliefs were found to influence road safety attitudes both directly and indirectly through their influence on risk perceptions. Those that reported more fatalistic beliefs also reported more dangerous attitudes to road safety and a lower perception of on-road risk. Mirroring findings from work undertaken in other countries, we found males compared to females and younger compared to older respondents to report more dangerous attitudes to road safety, with inconclusive results for risk perceptions. We also found very similar patterns of results in the data from the two countries included in the research. Results are discussed with regards to informing the design of road safety interventions aimed at influencing individual road user attitudes and, ultimately, human behaviour and system performance.

Religious/spiritual struggles and suicidal ideation in the COVID-19 era: Does the belief in divine control and religious attendance matter?

Religious/spiritual struggles and suicidal ideation in the COVID-19 era: Does the belief in divine control and religious attendance matter?

"What was meant to be" versus "what might have been": Effects of culture and control on counterfactual thinking.

Counterfactual thinking is a ubiquitous feature of daily life with links to causal reasoning. Therefore, we argue that cultures that vary in perceptions of what controls important life outcomes may also vary in counterfactual thought. Investigating White American and United Arab Emirates-based Arab participants' counterfactual potency and spontaneous counterfactual thinking, we found that Arab participants endorsed counterfactual thoughts less than White Americans, and were unaffected by the routine nature of action when negative outcomes were severe. Differences in counterfactual endorsement in response to severe negative outcomes were linked to greater beliefs in divine control and fate in Arab participants, and not to religiosity, reinforcing an important role of perceptions of control in counterfactual thought. However, although reporting less counterfactual endorsement overall, Arabs showed a similar pattern of counterfactual thought to White Americans when negative outcomes were mild, or when reporting spontaneous thought. Arabs likewise showed a similar pattern of regret as White Americans regardless of event severity, reporting more regret when outcomes resulted from unusual action. These patterns suggest a dissociation between affect and cognition, and between what kind of outcomes are subject to counterfactual scrutiny in Arab participants. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Unfair Treatment by the Police and Race: Is Religiosity a Protective Resource for Well-Being

A growing body of work documents the relationship between criminal justice and health has emerged in recent years, including the association between unfair treatment by the police (UTBP) and violent/racialized policing and health outcomes. However, little is known about the resources that could reduce the harmful consequences to well-being of UTBP. Using data from the Nashville Stress and Health Study, we consider both depressive symptoms and allostatic load (a physiological marker of health) and several dimensions of religiosity as stress buffers. African Americans (but not Whites) who experienced personal police contact reported higher depressive symptoms relative to those who experienced no police contact and those reporting vicarious UTBP. Weekly religious attendance and higher church-based support (but not beliefs in divine control, a causal attribution of God’s influence in daily life) mitigated this relationship. African Americans with personal UTBP had higher allostatic load than those with no UTBP. Neither church attendance nor church-based social support attenuated the relationship between personal UTBP and allostatic load, nor did divine control. We discuss how the results of our study can help clarify the parameters of the effectiveness of religious/spiritual coping for African Americans and their implications for criminal justice reform.

Foreclosed futures and entangled timelines: conceptualization of the ‘future’ among Syrian newcomer mothers in Canada

ABSTRACT Scholars have focused significant attention on geographic aspects of forced migration, as well as the economic, psychological, and cognitive outcomes of refugees’ movement across space. Less attention has been paid to temporal aspects of forced migration, particularly after refugees’ resettlement in a host society. Using semi-structured interviews with 41 Syrian mothers who recently arrived in Canada, I contribute to building theory on temporal dimensions of forced migration through an analysis of how refugee mothers conceptualise both their children’s and their own futures. First, I show how mothers’ perceptions of the future are heavily shaped by cultural and religious orientations of divine control, which may be out of sync with norms in their host society. I also identify two patterns demonstrating how space and time intersect. Displaced mothers deliberately ‘foreclose’ their own timeline in order to focus on their children’s future in Canada, feeling like their ‘selves’ could only grow in the former geographic space. Moreover, mothers do not separate their future projections from the present in Canada or from the past in Syria, leading to ‘entangled timelines.’ These findings suggest that scholarship on forced migration may continue to benefit from attention to how time and temporal experiences shape outcomes.

“Part of God’s Plan for My Life”: How Conservative Protestant Students Make Sense of Social Forces and Social Inequality

Research shows that White conservative Protestants’ individualistic views impede their pursuit of structural solutions to social injustice. When introduced to a structural perspective through a sociology course, what religio-cultural tools do conservative Protestant students use to interpret the impact of social factors on their lives? Through an analysis of student reflections, I found that the primary way they made sense of social factors was through a lens of divine control, and this did not vary by social location. A secondary way was viewing them as unfair, a view that was more common among advantaged students than disadvantaged students.

Does Religious Participation Predict Future Expectations About Health? Using a Life Course Framework to Test Multiple Mechanisms.

Though an impressive array of health outcomes has been studied, research within the field of religion and health has not yet considered how religious involvement may affect future expectations about health. This is a significant shortcoming because the teachings of many religions direct adherent's focus to the distant future, and future self-ratings of health are a known predictor of subjective life expectancy and eventual mortality risk. Recognizing the need for a life course approach to conceptualizing patterns of religious involvement, we assess how stability or change in religious attendance from childhood to adulthood structures individual expectations of future health. Drawing on data from the 2017 Values and Beliefs of the American Public Study (Baylor Religion Survey Wave 5), we find that stable high (weekly) attendance between childhood and adulthood is associated with higher future health expectations. Parametric mediation analyses conducted in the counterfactual framework suggest that this association is explained by the tendency of frequent stable attenders to have (a) higher levels of beliefs in the sense of divine control and (b) a lower likelihood of engaging in harmful health behaviors (smoking).

Exploration of Fatalism and Religiosity by Gender and Varying Levels of Engagement Among Mexican-American Adults of a Type 2 Diabetes Management Program.

Objectives: Purpose of study is to explore the roles religiosity and fatalistic beliefs play in diabetes management among newly, currently, and long-term enrolled Mexican-American participants in a Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) chronic care management program.Methods: In 2017, study participants (n = 15) completed a semi-structured interview in their preferred language (English or Spanish). Sample was stratified by amount of time individual had been enrolled as a participant of the Salud y Vida program: newly, currently, or long-term. Interviews assessed religious beliefs, beliefs concerning the cause(s) of diabetes, perceived relationship between religiosity and fatalistic beliefs with T2DM management, and the appropriateness of discussing such topics with a health professional. Interview responses were analyzed using ATLAS.ti 8.Results: Themes identified included: perceived autonomy over diabetes prognosis, motivators for self-care, discussions of personal beliefs in the healthcare setting, and the church's role in diabetes management.Conclusions: Among this sample, religiosity and religious fatalism played a complex role in coping with and managing diabetes. Long-term enrolled and male participants expressed beliefs of divine control over health, and a connection between religiosity and health behavior. Long-term enrolled participants felt religious and fatalistic beliefs may be suitable and beneficial to discuss in the healthcare setting.

Do Racial Differences in Coping Resources Explain the Black-White Paradox in Mental Health? A Test of Multiple Mechanisms.

A central paradox in the mental health literature is the tendency for black Americans to report similar or better mental health than white Americans despite experiencing greater stress exposure. However, black Americans' higher levels of certain coping resources may explain this finding. Using data from the Nashville Stress and Health Study (n = 1,186), we examine whether black Americans have higher levels of self-esteem, social support, religious attendance, and divine control than white Americans and whether these resources, in turn, explain the black-white paradox in mental health. In adjusted models, the black-white paradox holds for depressive symptoms and any DSM-IV disorder. Findings indicate that black Americans have higher levels of self-esteem, family social support, and religiosity than white Americans. Causal mediation techniques reveal that self-esteem has the largest effect in explaining black-white differences in depressive symptoms, whereas divine control has the largest effect in explaining differences in disorder.

The Belief in Divine Control and the Mental Health Effects of Stressful Life Events: A Study of Education-Based Contingencies

One of the most widely replicated findings within the mental health literature is that the experience of stressful life events (e.g., the death of a loved one, serious illness, divorce, loss of a job) are consistently associated with higher depressive symptoms. However, the magnitude of these effects varies such that some people invariably experience negative mental health consequences following the experience of significant life stressors, but many others do not. We consider why some individuals become more distressed than others following stressful life events by focusing on one particular religious belief: the sense of divine control. We examine how divine control changes in response to stress, and how this influences mental health differently across education levels. We analyze two waves of data from the Work, Stress, and Health Study (2005 and 2007) (N = 1279) using lagged dependent variable regression models. Results suggest that the moderating effect of changes in divine control associated with exposure to stressful life events are contingent on education level, depending on the stressful life event considered. In general, decreases in divine control after the experience of stress were found to be harmful for the mental health of the less educated, while increases in divine control were beneficial for the well-educated. We interpret our findings in terms of two differing perspectives on the relationship between changes in religious beliefs and mental well-being across education level after stressful life events (deprivation compensation versus enhanced resources). Taken together, this study contributes to knowledge about the social patterning (and influence) of beliefs about divine control and how changes in these beliefs may influence the mental health of individuals dealing with specific challenging circumstances.

Jitters on the Eve of the Great Recession: Is the Belief in Divine Control a Protective Resource?

AbstractOne factor that has received surprisingly little attention in understanding the mental health consequences of the 2007–2008 financial crisis is religion. In this study, we ask: what is the relationship between two economic stressors—job insecurity and financial strain—and depression? And how do changes in religious belief, indexed by the sense of divine control, moderate those relationships? We use two waves of the U.S. Work, Stress, and Health (US-WSH) project (2005–2007), which occurred on the eve of the Great Recession. Results suggest that increases in job insecurity and financial strain are associated with increased levels of depression. However, those associations are (1) buffered among individuals who simultaneously increased in the sense of divine control and (2) exacerbated among individuals who decreased in the sense of divine control. Moreover, the buffering and exacerbating effects of divine control are significantly stronger among workers with lower levels of education.

How do fatalistic beliefs affect the attitudes and pedestrian behaviours of road users in different countries? A cross-cultural study

This paper reports on an exploratory investigation of the influence of five different fatalistic belief constructs (divine control, luck, helplessness, internality, and general fatalism) on three classes of self-reported pedestrian behaviours (memory and attention errors, rule violations, and aggressive behaviours) and on respondents’ general attitudes to road safety, and how relationships between constructs differ across countries. A survey of over 3400 respondents across Bangladesh, China, Kenya, Thailand, the UK, and Vietnam revealed a similar pattern for most of the relationships assessed, in most countries; those who reported higher fatalistic beliefs or more external attributions of causality also reported performing riskier pedestrian behaviours and holding more dangerous attitudes to road safety. The strengths of relationships between constructs did, however, differ by country, behaviour type, and aspect of fatalism. One particularly notable country difference was that in Bangladesh and, to a lesser extent, in Kenya, a stronger belief in divine influence over one’s life was associated with safer attitudes and behaviours, whereas where significant relationships existed in the other countries the opposite was true. In some cases, the effect of fatalistic beliefs on self-reported behaviours was mediated through attitudes, in other cases the effect was direct. Results are discussed in terms of the need to consider the effect of locus of control and attributions of causality on attitudes and behaviours, and the need to understand the differences between countries therein.

Examining the roles of multidimensional fatalism on traffic safety attitudes and pedestrian behaviour

This paper examines the roles of fatalistic beliefs on attitudes towards traffic safety and pedestrian behaviour using the data from a questionnaire survey with a sample of 835 road users in Vietnam. A multidimensional fatalism scale was used to measure distinct facets of fatalistic beliefs. The data showed that fatalism could be represented by four factors including divine control (a belief in divine influence over one’s life), luck, internality (or locus of control), and general fatalism. Results from a structural equation model indicated that several of these fatalistic belief facets, namely internality, divine control, and luck significantly associated with traffic safety attitudes above demographic variables. In addition, internality was found to be significantly related to pedestrian behaviour after controlling for demographic variables and attitudes towards traffic safety. The findings are discussed with respect to practical implications for traffic safety interventions.

The Stone Ghost: The Undead in El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra

Tirso de Molina’s philandering Don Juan finds his downfall in the Stone Guest. This reanimated tomb effigy of Don Gonzalo pulls Don Juan to hell in the final act of El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra. Don Juan’s life of transgressions has upset both societal and divine order, so his punishment must be enacted in both spheres. In this paper, I consider the Stone Guest, who returns to the world of the living to mete out Don Juan’s punishment, to be a ghostly figure. As an undead apparition, the Stone Guest occupies a space between life and death, which positions him as the only character capable of enacting complete justice. I further examine the ways in which Don Gonzalo’s execution of justice, both human and divine, contributes to the 16th century’s de auxiliis debates regarding the influence of free will and divine control in man’s life.

Sleep quality among college students: exploring the role of a divine locus of sleep control

ObjectivesTo explore (a) how perceptions of personal and divine control over one's sleep schedule combine in distinct ways to predict sleep quality among college students and (b) whether health behaviors and psychological distress mediate the associations between perceptions of sleep control and sleep quality. MethodsWe surveyed 1251 students attending a public university in South Texas. All measures were derived from self-reports. Binary logistic regression techniques were used to predict the odds of reporting high-quality sleep in the past month. Mediation analyses were used to decompose the estimated effects of perceptions of sleep control on sleep quality via smoking, drinking, and psychological distress. ResultsCompared to participants who reported both low personal control and low divine control over their sleep schedules, students who reported both high personal control and high divine control exhibited 148% greater odds of reporting high-quality sleep (odds ratio = 2.48; 95% confidence interval = 1.434-4.294). These same participants also showed the highest predicted probabilities of reporting high-quality sleep (22%) compared to students with other sleep control orientations. Mediation analyses indicated that reduced psychological distress partially accounted for these differences, whereas smoking and drinking behaviors did not. ConclusionCollege students who felt they and God both shared full control over their sleep schedules reported the highest quality sleep, which was partially explained by their lower average levels of psychological distress.

Aspiration Strain and Mental Health: The Education‐Contingent Role of Religion

AbstractThis study examines whether dimensions of religious involvement (i.e., perceived divine control, private religious practices, and religious social integration) buffer associations between aspiration strain and mental health outcomes (i.e., psychological distress, loneliness, and optimism). We also test three‐way interactions to determine whether the stress‐buffering effects of religious involvement are amplified among undereducated persons. We test our hypotheses with cross‐sectional survey data from Vanderbilt University's Nashville Stress and Health Study (2011–2014), a probability sample of non‐Hispanic white and black adults from Davidson County, Tennessee (n = 1,252). Results from multivariate regression models confirmed: (1) aspiration strain was positively associated with psychological distress and loneliness, and negatively associated with optimism; and (2) religious involvement attenuated these associations, but only for respondents with less than or equal to a high school education. We discuss the implications and limitations of our findings and outline avenues for future research.

The Powerful Other: How Divine Control Shapes the Relationship Between Personal Control and Psychological Distress

AbstractIn the sociological study of mental health, the sense of personal control represents a core psychological resource, but some studies document a curvilinear association between personal control and depressive symptoms. This body of research is largely secular in orientation, even though research also demonstrates that some individuals believe in an involved and engaged Powerful Other (e.g., God). We evaluate if such beliefs moderate the relationship between personal control and depression. Using data from the 2005 Work, Stress, and Health Study in the United States (N = 1,791), we first demonstrate that the sense of personal control has an overall curvilinear association with depression, in line with previous research. Then, we document that divine control beliefs modify this association such that the curvilinear association is found primarily among individuals with low levels of divine control. By contrast, among those who more strongly endorse divine control, we observe no relationship between personal control and depression. We situate our findings in the differing and complicated perspectives on the implications of religious beliefs for psychological resources and well‐being.

When and why does belief in a controlling God strengthen goal commitment?

The perception that God controls one's life can bolster motivation to pursue personal goals, but it can also have no impact and even squelch motivation. To better understand how religious beliefs impact self-regulation, the current research built on Compensatory Control Theory's claim that perceiving the environment as predictable (vs. unpredictable) strengthens commitment to long-term goals. Perceiving God's intervention as following an understandable logic, which implies a predictable environment, increased self-reported and behavioral commitment to save money (Studies 1–3), excel academically (Study 4), and improve physical health (Study 5). In contrast, perceiving God as intervening in mysterious ways, which implies that worldly affairs are under control yet unpredictable, did not increase goal commitment. Exploratory mediational analyses focused on self-efficacy, response efficacy, and confidence in God's control. A meta-analysis (Study 6) yielded a reliable effect whereby belief in divine control supports goal pursuit specifically when it signals the predictability of one's environment.

Kept in His Care: The Role of Perceived Divine Control in Positive Reappraisal Coping

A formidable body of literature suggests that numerous dimensions of religious involvement can facilitate productive coping. One common assumption in this field is that religious worldviews provide overarching frameworks of meaning by which to positively reinterpret stressors. The current study explicitly tests this assumption by examining whether perceived divine control—i.e., the notion that God controls the course and direction of one’s life—buffers the adverse effects of recent traumatic life events on one’s capacity for positive reappraisal coping. We analyze cross-sectional survey data from Vanderbilt University’s Nashville Stress and Health Study (2011–2014), a probability sample of non-Hispanic black and white adults aged 22 to 69 living in Davidson County, Tennessee (n = 1252). Findings from multivariate regression models confirm: (1) there was an inverse association between past-year traumatic life events and positive reappraisals; but (2) perceived divine control significantly attenuated this inverse association. Substantively, our findings suggest that people who believe God controls their life outcomes are better suited for positively reinterpreting traumatic experiences. Implications, limitations, and avenues for future research are discussed.

Goal-striving Stress and Self-concept: The Moderating Role of Perceived Divine Control

No study has investigated whether personal religiousness could modulate goal-striving stress. To address this gap in the literature, the current study tests whether beliefs in divine control moderate the associations between goal-striving stress and self-concept (i.e. self-esteem and mastery). I analyze cross-sectional data from Vanderbilt University’s Nashville Stress and Health Study (2011-2014), a probability sample of non-Hispanic black and white adults aged 22 to 69 living in Davidson County, Tennessee (n = 1,252). Results from multivariate regression models indicated (1) goal-striving stress inversely associated with self-esteem and mastery, net of a number of statistical controls; (2) perceived divine control attenuated the inverse association between goal-striving stress and self-esteem; but (3) perceived divine control amplified the inverse association between goal-striving stress and mastery. Implications, limitations, and avenues for future research are discussed.