Negative Religious Coping Research Articles

Childhood Unpredictability is Associated With Religious Coping Through Attachment to God and Divine Forgiveness.

Because a majority of the world's population is religious and believes in some higher power, it is important to understand what may facilitate or hinder religious psychological processes that give rise to well-being. The current work therefore threads together behavioral ecological, attachment, and forgiveness theoretical perspectives to assess candidate correlates of divine forgiveness and religious coping. Study 1 (N = 441) showed, via a single path model, that childhood unpredictability was positively associated with avoidant attachment to God, which was in turn negatively associated with divine forgiveness, such that avoidant attachment to God fully mediated the association between childhood unpredictability and divine forgiveness. Study 2 (N = 417) extended the investigation to religious coping, again analyzing data via a single path model. Childhood unpredictability was associated with positive (but not negative) coping through a mediation sequence of insecure attachment (avoidant and anxious) and, in turn, divine forgiveness. For avoidance, unpredictability was positively associated with avoidant attachment, which was negatively associated with divine forgiveness, which was positively associated with positive religious coping. For anxious attachment, unpredictability was positively associated with anxious attachment, which was positively associated with divine forgiveness, which was positively associated with positive religious coping. Notably, avoidant attachment was also curvilinearly associated with anxious attachment and coping, such that people high and low (vs. average) in avoidance are high in anxious attachment as well as positive and negative religious coping. Thus, the work provides insights important to both the study of early childhood environments and the study of religious psychological processes.

The Mechanisms Underlying Religious Coping and Hopelessness: Role of Meaning in Life and Affectivity

AbstractReligion can fulfill both positive and negative functions in coping with stress. There is a lack of research regarding the mechanism underlying the link between religious coping and mental health. The purpose of this study was to verify how religious coping is related to mental health. Two indirect mechanisms were tested for finding meaning in life and emotional regulation. The study was conducted with 115 students from Poland. According to the results, both positive and negative religious coping were indirectly related to hopelessness through finding meaning in life and affectivity. More frequent use of negative religious coping was positively related to the intensity of negative affect and problems with finding meaning in life, which, in turn, led to a higher level of hopelessness. Meanwhile, more frequent use of positive religious coping was correlated with a greater intensity of positive effect and supported individuals in finding meaning in life. Finding meaning in life was related to a lower level of hopelessness, but positive affect was not correlated with hopelessness. The research confirmed the role played by finding meaning in life and affectivity within the mechanism underlying the link between religious coping and hopelessness. In conclusion, theoretical and practical implications are presented.

Caregiver burden, religious coping, and spiritual well-being among caregivers of elderly stroke patients and predictors affecting spiritual well-being.

Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. Stroke usually creates a range of disabilities such as physical deficits and difficulty in performing daily activities. These long-term needs and the continuous caregiving sequence affect the care burden and spiritual well-being of caregivers. The correlational study population consisted of caregivers of stroke older patients (N = 100). Burden Interview Scale, Spiritual Well-Being Scale and Religious Coping Scale were used. Descriptive analyses, independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, correlation, regression analyses were used to evaluate the data. The mean age of caregivers was 48.38 ± 13.52 years. The score of Burden Interview Scale was 31.41 ± 15.13 (light/moderate), Negative Religious Coping was 7.39 ± 3.17 (moderate), Positive Religious Coping was 24.30 ± 4.34 (high), and Spiritual Well-Being was 21.65 ± 6.73 (low). There is a significant relationship between Burden Interview and Negative Religious Coping (r = 0.274; P = 0.006), Burden Interview and spiritual well-being (r = -0.563; P = 0.000), and spiritual well-being and positive religious coping (r = 0.228; P = 0.026). The predictors that affect the spiritual well-being of caregivers were found to be Burden Interview (β = -0.571) and Positive Religious Coping (β = 0.181) (P < 0.05). Nurses play an important role in increasing the spiritual well-being levels and religious coping behaviours of caregivers. Nurses should communicate empathically with caregivers, understand their feelings, and provide emotional support.

The Role of Spirituality on Ambivalent Behaviors Among Christian Youth Attending Selected Churches in Kajiado County, Kenya

The role of spirituality in mitigating against ambivalent behaviors among Christian youth needs to be studied, with an aim to devising efficacious intervention programs, that can be escalated to other non-Christian youth. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between ambivalent behaviors (substance use and sexual behaviors) and spirituality (strength of faith and religious coping mechanisms) among the Christian youth attending four selected Churches in Kajiado County, Kenya. Through a descriptive research design, data was collected from 145 respondents aged 14-35 years (73 male,72 female) who were regularly attending Sunday services. Data collection instruments were the Santa Clara, to assess strength of faith, the Religious Coping Questionnaire (BRIEF-COPE) to assess the religious coping mechanisms, the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI) for sexual impairment and the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test - Lite (ASSIST-Lite) for substance use. Data was analysed quantitatively using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS, version 29) utilizing Kendall’s tau-b, and scatter plots were generated to assess the nature of the relationship between spirituality and ambivalent behaviors. Findings pointed to a positive statistically significant relationship between sexual behaviors and negative religious coping (τb=.223, 95% C.I .117-.324, p=.008) showing that increased use of negative coping mechanism was related to increased sexual behaviors. The scatter plots showed that overally, ambivalent behaviors had a weak negative relationship with positive coping mechanisms (R2=1.1%) and strength of faith(R2=1.1%), and a weak but positive relationship with negative coping (R2=2.1%). There were several outliers in all the three scatter plots, showing a non-linear relationship implying that other factors were related to the ambivalent behaviors aside from the spirituality. The findings thus pointed to a moderate correlation between spirituality and ambivalent behaviors, where increased faith and use of positive coping mechanisms can mitigate against ambivalent behaviors, but there is also need for additional programs that could directly address the underlying causes, as well as the propagating factors. The study thus recommends a multi-faceted approach, incorporating psychological programs alongside the spiritual nurture, to address ambivalent behaviors among Christian youth. Such programs have the potential to be escalated to other non-Christian youth.

Religious Coping as Mediator of Sense of Competence and Post-traumatic Growth in Mothers of Children With Cerebral Palsy.

The present study aimed to determine whether religious coping mediates the relationship between parenting sense of competence (PSOC) and post-traumatic growth (PTG). Cross-sectional research design was used. A sample of 74 mothers (age range; 20-45 years) of CP children (age range; 2-9 years) was collected through purposive sampling from different physiotherapy centres and special education schools of Lahore. PSOC scale, brief RCOPE and PTG inventory were used. Positive religious coping partially mediated (β = 0.190, 95% CI [0.026, 0.374], p < 0.05) between PSOC and PTG. Partial mediation exists between PSOC and appreciation of life through pathway of positive religious coping (β = 0.040, 95% CI [0.007, 0.075], p < 05). Full mediation exists between PSOC and personal strength through pathway of positive religious coping (β = 0.041, 95% CI [0.001, 0.081], p < 0.05) and through negative religious coping (β = 0.034, 95% CI [0.002, 0.066], p < 0.05). Positive religious coping fully mediated (β = 0.029, 95% CI [0.007, 0.058], p < 0.05) between PSOC and spiritual change. Moreover, indirect effect of PSOC on relating to others and new possibilities through positive and negative religious coping was non-significant, indicating no mediation. Positive religious coping affected the association between PSOC and PTG, that is, mothers of CP children having high parenting competence are more likely to use positive religious coping strategies that results in more PTG.

The Role of Spiritual Well-Being and Religious Coping in Psychiatric Morbidities Associated with Breast Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Background: Spirituality and religious resources support and enhance both overall and emotional well-being during adversity such as diagnosis of breast cancer. Breast cancer patients are at higher risk of developing severe anxiety, depression, and potential mood disorders. Aim: The aim is to assess, compare, and correlate spiritual well-being and religious coping in patients with breast cancer with and without psychiatric disorders (anxiety and depression). Materials and Methodology: Recently diagnosed 90 treatment-naïve breast cancer patients were selected in adherence to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Spiritual Assessment Scale, and Brief Religious Coping Scale were applied to the sample population. The study population was divided into two groups depending on scores of HADS, those having psychiatric disorders, and those who did not have. The data were analyzed using Mann‒Whitney test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient in the SPSS version 21. Results: More than half (61.1%) of the females suffered from psychiatric disorders after diagnosis of breast cancer. About 50% and 38.9% of the study population developed significant emotional distress, leading to the diagnosis of cases of anxiety and depression, respectively. Females suffering from psychiatric disorders have significantly lower spirituality, positive religious coping, and significantly higher negative religious coping than females without any psychiatric disorder. Total spirituality score (P = 0.034) is making a significant contribution toward predicting depression. Negative religious coping is making a significant contribution toward predicting both anxiety (P = 0.008) and depression (P = 0.045). Conclusion: The study suggests that spirituality and religion-based coping facilitates adaptive psychological adjustment to cancer and decreases the prevalence of anxiety and depression.

Religious Coping Styles Used by Young Black Women Who Experience DatingViolence.

Young Black women experience higher rates of dating violence victimization compared to their White peers. Religion is a cornerstone of African American culture, suggesting that Black women may use religious coping after experiencing trauma like dating violence. However, research has not explored the patterns of religious coping following dating violence experiences. The current study analyzed survey data from 481 young Black women aged 18-19 years on their religious coping behaviors, acceptance of violence beliefs, and dating violence victimization experiences. Results showed that victimization was positively associated with negative religious coping. Findings indicate that one way young Black women cope with dating violence victimization is through feelings of spiritual discontent, and they may see their victimization as a punishment from God.

The Predictive Power of Religious Coping on Care Burden, Depression, Stress, and Anxiety of Parents of Pediatric Oncology Patients in Turkey.

This study aimed to determine the predictive power of religious coping of parents of children with canceron caregiver burden, depression, anxiety, and stress in Turkey. It was designed as a descriptive and cross-sectional study, utilizing correlational analysis and regression models to explore associations between variables. Data were collected from 164 parents in the pediatric hematology-oncology clinics of a university hospital between November 2023 and March 2024. There was a negative correlation between caregiver burden score and negative and positive religious coping scores. Caregiver burden scores werepositively correlated with depression, anxiety, and stress scores. Results indicated that caregiver burden, education level, employment status, family structure, family income, and age at diagnosis significantly predicted positive religious coping. For negative religious coping, caregiver burden, education level, family structure, and family income were significant predictors. This suggests that religious coping may help reduce caregiver burden, underscoring the importance of promoting constructive coping strategies to support caregivers' well-being.

Identifying Variation in Physical Health Behaviors and Depressive Symptoms among Religiosity Clusters of African American Adults in the United States.

Religiosity is an important factor in the lives of many African Americans, who suffer a greater health burden than their White counterparts. In this study, we examined associations between dimensions of religiosity with health behaviors and depressive symptoms in a sample of African American adults in the United States. Participants (N = 2086) completed five measures of religiosity (religious involvement, positive and negative religious coping, scriptural influence, belief in illness as punishment for sin) and measures of several health behaviors, cancer screening behaviors, and depressive symptoms. Using cluster analysis to examine the deep structure of religiosity, three clusters emerged: Positive Religious, Negative Religious, and Low Religious. In general, the Positive Religious group engaged in more healthy behaviors (e.g., fruit and vegetable consumption, fecal occult blood test) and fewer risky health behaviors (e.g., smoke and consume alcohol), and reported fewer depressive symptoms than did the Negative Religious and/or Low Religious groups. Theoretical implications and implications for interventions by clergy and mental health professionals are discussed.

"Religious Coping Fosters Mental Health": Does Psychological Capital Enable Pakistani Engineers to Translate Religious Coping into Mental Wellbeing?

Turning toward religion to make sense of and cope with challenging circumstances is an area of interest for many recent researchers working on wellbeing and mental health. The present study extends this interest by assessing whether psychological capital explains the association between religious coping and mental wellbeing in Pakistani engineers. Psychological capital was assessed from four factors, namely optimism, resilience, hope, and self-efficacy. A sample of 501 Muslim engineers from Pakistan (M age = 33.41, SD = 6.37years) was assessed on measures of religious coping, psychological capital, and mental wellbeing. Results from correlation and a multimediation model showed that positive religious coping was positively predictive of mental wellbeing and psychological capital; however, negative religious coping remained insignificant for mental wellbeing. Further analysis showed that of four psychological capital factors, only self-efficacy explained the positive association between positive religious coping and mental wellbeing. Implications of the findings along with future directions have been discussed.

A qualitative analysis of religious coping and participation in patients with head and neck cancer.

e24093 Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) and its treatment sequelae result in substantial disfigurement, depression, and isolation. Though up to 7 out of 10 cancer patients lean on prayer or other forms of spirituality for support, little is known about the significance of prayer and religious communities for patients with HNC. There is also a dearth of literature on the role of clergy as spiritual support for patients with HNC. In this qualitative study, we explore religious coping and barriers to community engagement both from a patient and clergy perspective. Methods: We purposively sampled ten patients with HNC from a single, comprehensive cancer center and twelve clergy for interviews. Patients were selected from a larger study of religious engagement and symptomatic distress. Clergy were recruited from a network of churches near the cancer center. Both patients and clergy completed semi-structured interviews, which were then transcribed and analyzed by descriptive content analysis. Results: Four main themes emerged from patient interviews: 1) HNC-related physical symptoms (dysphagia, stoma, impaired speech) hindered relationship-building with others and structured religious groups. 2) Most patients used positive religious coping, citing frequent prayer to God for strength during treatment and peace regardless of disease outcome. Few patients used negative religious coping, describing feelings of doubt and abandonment by God. 3) Patients predominantly found spiritual (prayer) and practical comfort (encouragement, phone calls) outside of religious communities through family, physicians, and support groups. 4) Barriers to religious community involvement included physical disability, satisfaction with individual spirituality, and religious community politics. Among clergy, barriers to patient engagement in religious communities included: lack of health literacy to understand patient needs, resource limitations, insufficient hospital emphasis on holistic health, and little awareness of opportunities for aid apart from psychosocial support. Overall, most clergy and patients believed faith to be an integral part of coping with head and neck cancer. Conclusions: Though patients with HNC experienced some isolation due to physical symptoms, many found spiritual support through private practices of prayer or individual relationships. Patient and clergy views on barriers to religious community involvement diverged; many patients felt satisfied with personal practices, and clergy felt distanced from patients. While future research should focus on clinical elicitation of religious coping strategies, our patients suggest the successful adaptation of such strategies to private contexts when faced with physically debilitating cancer diagnoses.

Investigating spiritual care perceptions and religious coping methods among the relatives of terminally ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of Turkey.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey and around the world has had a profound impact on the families of terminally ill patients. In this challenging period, investigating the spiritual care perceptions and religious coping methods of patients' relatives is an essential step towards understanding the experiences in this process with the additional challenges brought by the pandemic and developing appropriate support services. This study aims to determine the spiritual care perceptions and the use of religious coping methods among the relatives of terminally ill patients in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample of this descriptive and correlational study consisted of the relatives of terminally ill patients (n = 147) who were receiving treatment in the Anesthesiology and Reanimation Intensive Care Unit of a state hospital in Turkey. Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale and the Religious Coping Scale to them using face-to-face interviews. Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. The mean age of the participants was 38.84 ± 11.19years. Also, 63.3% of them were employed. The participant's total score on the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale was 57.16 ± 6.41, and it was determined that the participants' level of perception of spirituality and spiritual care concepts was close to good. When the Religious Coping Scale scores of the participants were examined, it was found that both Positive Religious Coping levels (23.11 ± 2.34) and Negative Religious Coping levels (9.48 ± 1.47) were close to high. There was no correlation between the scores of RCOPE and SSCRS (p > 0.05). As a result, it was determined that the level of perception of spirituality and spiritual care concepts of the relatives of terminally ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic was close to sound, and their Positive Religious Coping levels were high. Epidemics are a reality of the world, and it is essential to learn lessons from this process and take precautions for the future. We offer a perspective to realize the coping power of religion and spirituality, which are integral parts of life. The needs of terminally ill patients' relatives, a sensitive group, become visible.

The Role of Dominant Spiritual and Religious Coping Modality on Psychological Predictors Among Nursing Students.

Purpose: The current study aimed to examine the role of the dominant spiritual and religious coping modality on health-related variables and determinants, including stress overload, mindfulness, and impulsivity, among nursing students. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to achieve the study goal. The authors recruited 1199 nursing students. The results showed that the mean for positive spiritual and religious coping was higher compared to negative spiritual and religious coping. Results: In the current study, 73.3% of nursing students predominantly used positive spiritual and religious coping compared to 17.6% in the neutral group and 9.1% in the negative spiritual and religious coping group. Positive spiritual and religious coping was positively correlated with mindfulness and stress overload and negatively correlated with impulsivity. According to the ANOVA results, students with positive spiritual and religious coping tended to have a significantly higher stress overload, higher mindfulness, and lower impulsivity compared to the neutral and negative spiritual and coping groups. Negative spiritual and religious coping group significantly differed from the neutral groups only in terms of impulsivity. Conclusion: The current study's findings help nursing students by determining dominant spiritual and religious coping modalities and provide valuable information in directing counseling efforts. Results and implications were discussed.

Death Anxiety and Religious Coping in Heart Failure Patients.

This study was conducted to determine death anxiety and religious coping in heart failure patients. It was determined that 64% of the patients were male, the mean death anxiety score was 7.78 ± 3.91, 38% had ≤6 points and 62% had ≥7 points. Positive religious coping score was 20.54 ± 6.58 and negative religious coping score was 6.86 ± 3.18. Patients with a diagnosis of heart failure ≥3years had higher death anxiety levels. There was a weak positive correlation between death anxiety and positive and negative religious coping scores. Death anxiety and the number of days hospitalized were determined to predict positive religious coping in regression analysis. The model explained 7.6% of the total variance in positive religious coping. Heart failure patients were detected to have high death anxiety. Patients were observed to have high positive religious coping scores. As death anxiety increases, patients exhibit positive religious coping behavior.

Assessing the Interplay of Epidemic Anxiety, Religious Coping, Spiritual Well-Being, and Tranquility During COVID-19

This study examines the relationships among epidemic anxiety, religious coping (positive and negative), spiritual well-being, and tranquility during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the study investigates potential differences in these variables based on gender and age. The sample consisted of 405 participants. The data is collected using the Epidemic Anxiety Scale, the Religious Coping Scale, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and the Tranquility Scale. The findings reveal a positive and significant relationship between epidemic anxiety and both positive and negative religious coping, but no significant relationship with overall spiritual well-being or tranquility. Examining the subscales, positive and negative religious coping are positively and significantly associated with spiritual well-being. The study finds a weak negative relationship with tranquility and negative religious coping. Crucially, a significant positive relationship between spiritual well-being and tranquility is discovered. These results were discussed within the existing literature, highlighting the complex interplay between epidemic-related anxiety, religious coping mechanisms, spiritual well-being, and the experience of tranquility during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the implications for supporting individuals' well-being during public health crises are considered.

Exploring the relationships between psychological wellbeing, religiosity and religious coping among post-primary school students in Ireland

ABSTRACT This study explored the relationships between psychological wellbeing, religiosity and religious coping amongst adolescent students attending post-primary schools in Ireland. The current paper reports on the quantitative data and findings arising from a mixed-methods study. Participants were post-primary school students (N = 110) aged between 15 and 19 years, who completed online questionnaires measuring their psychological wellbeing, religiosity and religious coping. Correlation, comparative and regression analyses using SPSS were used to analyse the data. The results revealed that religiosity was not significantly correlated with psychological wellbeing; however, religious beliefs were a predictor of enhanced psychological wellbeing amongst theist participants. Positive religious coping methods were associated with enhanced purpose in life. Conversely, use of negative religious coping mechanisms was linked to lower levels of overall psychological wellbeing. The findings demonstrate that adolescents’ religion has the potential to impact their mental wellbeing positively or negatively, depending on the type of religious coping methods used.

Religious Coping and Emotional Adjustment among Patients Undergoing Dialysis: Treatment Perception as Moderator

Kidney problems are increasing in world as well as in Pakistan. Waste produced in the human blood is filtered through kidneys. When human kidney fails to operate their functions properly, dialysis is the way people can live the rest of their life. Objective: To explore the moderating role of treatment perception on religious coping and emotional adjustment among patients undergoing dialysis. Methods: Treatment Perception Questionnaire, Brief R-Cope Scale and Emotional Adjustment Measure were used for data collection. 200 dialysis patients; 100 males, 100 females from 19-80 years were selected by using purposive sampling. Results: The results showed significant positive correlation among treatment perception, positive religious coping and emotional adjustment. Treatment perception is significant positive moderator between positive religious coping and emotional adjustment. Positive religious coping and emotional adjustment were greater in older patients, while negative religious coping is greater in younger patients. Female patients have perceived their treatment positively and have greater use of positive religious coping as a result they were more emotionally adjusted than male patients. Additionally, less treatment duration patients have high level of treatment perception, positive religious coping and emotional adjustment than patients having more treatment duration. Conclusions: The findings of this study will help clinical professionals and social workers to have better understanding of these variables, to introduce, promote and modify the required remedies and therapeutic techniques to help out the patients so that they can improve their level of religious coping and emotional adjustment.

The Correlation Between the Level of Depression and Religious Coping Among Medical Students Class of 2020 Universitas Airlangga

Introduction: Medical students are at risk of developing depression due to their demanding workload and high expectations, which can impact their academic performance and cognitive function. To prevent severe complications, students must prioritize resources for mental health support, namely religious coping as a coping mechanism. Objective: The aim of this study is proof the correlation between depression levels and religious coping in medical students class of 2020 Universitas Airlangga Methods: This research is an observational analytic study with a cross-sectional design, and random sampling was used as a sampling method, totaling to 90 subjects. Variables used were religious coping and level of depression. The data was then analysed and prevalence, correlation coefficient and p-value were acquired. The research result would be considered significant if p &lt;0.05. Result: Out of 90 students, 32 people (35.6%) are found to have a PHQ score more than 10, indicating depression. Severity was found mostly have moderate depression, which consisted of 12 people (13.3%). For religious coping, 84 people (93.3%) use positive religious coping, and 6 people (6.7%) use negative religious coping. The level of depression correlates with religious coping with a Pearson correlation of -0.450, indicating a negative correlation with a p-value less than 0.001. Conclusion: The prevalence of depression among medical students class of 2020 Universitas Airlangga is 35.6%. Level of depression in found to significantly correlates with religious coping with an opposing direction of correlation.

The Influence Coping Strategies on Employee Performance

The problem faced by contract employees is uncertainty about the continuity of their work, which creates work pressure. Individuals who experience work pressure will take steps which are known as coping. This research aims to analyze the influence of individual employee coping choices on their performance. It is hoped that the research results can provide input for human resource management policies, especially in dealing with contract employees. The coping strategies studied consisted of problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and religious coping. The research was conducted on employee class students at Mercu Buana University, Jakarta, involving 100 respondents. The highest score of coping carried out by respondents was positive religious coping, followed by problem-based coping, emotion-based coping, and negative religious coping. The research results show that religious coping is positive, problem-based coping has a positive and significant effect on employee performance, and negative emotion-based coping also has a positive and significant effect on performance, respectively. Negative religious coping has a negative and significant effect on performance.

Cross-Cultural Validation and the Psychometric Properties of the Korean Version of the Brief Religious Coping Scale.

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Brief Religious Coping Scale (RCOPE) among Korean Protestant Christians to determine its reliability and validity in South Korea considering the unique characteristics of Korean Protestant Christianity. Exploratory Factor Analysis (n = 251) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 268) identified the original two-factor structure of the positive and negative religious coping subscales. Also, the scale exhibited robust reliability and construct validity. This study affirmed the scale is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring religious coping in Korean Christian adults.