Integrating Islamic Theology and Psychology: A Systematic Narrative Review of Religious Coping

At a summit focused on liberation movements in Kempton Park, South Africa, on 27 July 2025, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa articulated that the weaponisation of foreigners represents one of the perilous issues currently confronting society. His remark was triggered by the ongoing sentiments against foreigners that often express themselves through acts of violence in South Africa. President Ramaphosa’s speech emerges amidst an expanding corpus of literature on xenophobia, urging researchers and other stakeholders in South Africa to confront the urgent issue of xenophobia. However, the existing literature primarily focuses on the causes and consequences of xenophobia. The support provided to individuals affected by xenophobia in navigating the emotional distress and consequences stemming from such discrimination is frequently neglected. In this article, I propose God’s divine presence as a religious coping mechanism for victims of xenophobia, while recognising that coping mechanisms may also arise from psychological and sociological frameworks, for example. I develop this mechanism through a presentist interpretation of Psalm 23, demonstrating that the Psalmist may have faced circumstances similar to those associated with xenophobia in South Africa. I integrated the presentist hermeneutic with a thematic methodology to steer this article towards its principal aim. The conclusion reached is that God’s presence functions as a coping mechanism for victims to navigate the anguish caused by xenophobia. This article engages in an interdisciplinary approach, enhancing the discourse surrounding both religious and socio-political studies related to xenophobia. It is crafted with a thoughtful regard for those affected by xenophobia.

This study investigated factors associated with post-traumatic growth (PTG) after severe traumatic societal events. Utilizing a quota-representative sample of 931 Israeli Jews, we assessed individual and community PTG following the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023, alongside a range of factors guided by Bronfenbrenner's Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) model. Using data-driven techniques, we identified three distinct growth profiles: relatively high individual and collective PTG (n = 354), high PTG on all dimensions (n = 273), and secular growth showing high PTG in general but not in spiritual terms (n = 322). Higher levels of religious identification, involvement, and coping, altruistic behaviour, social support, optimism, and mindfulness, as well as lower levels of pessimism, were found in the group(s) with the highest PTG. This research highlights the potentially high societal resilience reported after a large-scale traumatic event, identifying factors that may be tested for their potential to maximize growth in the aftermath of trauma.

To determine associations between spiritual well-being (faith and meaning dimensions) with emotional suffering (anxiety, depression, hopelessness, and quality of life) in Latinos with advanced cancer and examine themes of existential coping. In a mixed-methods study, participants were recruited from cancer clinics in New York and Puerto Rico. Measures included the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Spiritual Well-Being Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Beck Hopelessness Scale. A subset of participants completed in-depth semi-structured interviews exploring the roles of existential and religious factors in adjustment to cancer. Correlations were conducted, and the interviews were analyzed with a thematic analysis approach. A sample of 142 Latinos with advanced cancer participated (67.6% stage IV and 32.4% stage III). The spiritual well-being, faith and meaning factor were associated with anxiety and depression symptoms. Meaning was associated with lower hopelessness and showed stronger associations with emotional suffering than the faith dimension. Lower acculturation was associated with higher hopelessness but not with depression/anxiety. In semi-structured interviews (n=24), recurrent themes were: (1) receiving existential support from counselors; (2) receiving spiritual support from family and/or friends; (3) focusing on being spiritual and finding purpose rather than on a specific religion or faith; (4) religious coping; and (5) spiritual coping, focused on self-growth, finding meaning, and helping others to cope. Patients identified sources of meaning, including helping others, having a fighting spirit, a spirit of learning, enjoying work, enjoying life, family and children, confidence in providers/treatment, God/faith, and spirituality. Meaning had a more significant influence than faith on emotional suffering. Participants emphasized the importance of finding meaning and purpose, self-growth, and helping others as ways to cope with an advanced diagnosis. Interventions with a meaning-making approach, emphasizing finding purpose and growth, are needed for Latinos with advanced cancer.

This study aimed to examine how perceived stress, religious coping (both positive and negative), and resilience relate to Vietnamese university students' attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. It also investigated the mediating roles of religious coping and resilience in these relationships. Cross-sectional quantitative design using structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected online between November and December 2024 from students at multiple universities across Vietnam, coordinated by the Faculty of Psychology, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education. A total of 416 undergraduate students (263 females, 153 males; aged 18-25years) completed the online survey. The sample included diverse academic majors, religious affiliations, and sexual orientations. Data were collected using the Socio-demographic Questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and the Attitude Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale - Short Form (ATSPPH-SF). Perceived stress was positively associated with both positive and negative religious coping, and with greater openness toward professional help-seeking, but negatively related to resilience. Positive religious coping was a significant predictor of more favorable help-seeking attitudes and partially mediated the link between perceived stress and these attitudes. However, negative religious coping and resilience were not significantly associated with help-seeking attitudes and did not function as mediators. Subgroup analyses showed that LGBTQ + students were characterized by elevated stress and greater use of both positive and negative religious coping, whereas students with self-harm histories displayed higher stress and positive religious coping but lower resilience and help-seeking openness. Findings emphasize the dual role of religious coping as both a protective and maladaptive strategy in stressful situations. While positive coping enhances openness to help-seeking, resilience may act more as an internal resource than a motivator for external support. These results underscore the need for culturally sensitive interventions in universities that address not only psychological factors but also religious and social norms influencing mental health behavior.

This predictive-correlational study examined the moderating role of religious coping in the relationship between acculturation-related stress and psychological distress among early-phase Filipino migrant workers. Grounded in Pargament’s religious coping theory and Berry’s acculturation framework, the study employed the Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental Acculturation Stress Scale (SAFE-24), the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and the Brief RCOPE. Using snowball-purposive sampling, data were collected from 411 respondents. Analyses included Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results indicated that acculturation-related stress was positively and significantly associated with psychological distress (r = 0.52, p < .001) and significantly predicted distress in the SEM model (O = 0.393, p = 0.000). With significant positive associations between the acculturation-related stress and psychological distress across all domains, the strongest association was observed between total acculturation-related stress and anxiety (r = 0.544, p < .001). Among SAFE domains, environmental stress showed the strongest correlations with overall psychological distress (r = 0.504, p < .001) and anxiety (r = 0.515, p < .001), while attitudinal stress was most strongly associated with depression (r = 0.488, p < .001), underscoring domain-specific stress effects. Most respondents demonstrated high positive religious coping (98.05%), reflecting spiritual reliance and meaning-focused coping, whereas 28.71% reported elevated negative religious coping, indicating vulnerability. However, religious coping did not significantly moderate the stress–distress relationship, suggesting limited buffering effects in early migration stages. Findings support the development of culturally responsive, spiritually informed mental health programs and data-driven psychosocial frameworks tailored for Overseas Filipino Workers.

Background: Thalassemia major (TM) is a chronic hereditary blood disorder requiring lifelong transfusions and chelation therapy, imposing a substantial physical, psychological, social, and financial burden on caregivers. Assessing caregivers’ quality of life (QoL) and coping strategies is essential to understanding their adaptive functioning and identifying areas requiring psychosocial support. To evaluate the quality of life and coping strategies among caregivers of children with thalassemia major attending a tertiary care hospital in Southern Rajasthan. Methods: A cross-sectional study among 140 caregivers of children with thalassemia major used a structured questionnaire with sociodemographic data, WHOQOL-BREF, and brief COPE. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square, and ANOVA, with p<0.05 as the significance level. Results: Most caregivers were male (65.7%), rural residents (80.7%), and belonged to lower socioeconomic strata (70.7%). Emotional support (85.71%), religious coping (84.29%), and informational support (82.14%) were the most frequently adopted strategies. Social relationships showed the highest QoL scores (mean 10.46±2.22), while psychological health was the most affected domain (mean 16.61±3.62). Gender and education were significantly associated with QoL across multiple domains (p<0.05), whereas duration of illness and age showed no significant association. Conclusion: Caregivers of children with thalassemia major experience considerable psychosocial strain, particularly affecting psychological and environmental well-being. Adaptive coping strategies, especially emotional and religious coping, appear to support resilience.

This study aims to understand how workaholism mediates financial stress and the adaptive strategies of the sandwich generation, and how Islamic values ​​influence the meaning and justification of this behavior. This study uses a qualitative approach with a phenomenological method to explore in depth the subjective experiences of individuals in interpreting financial stress and the urge to overwork. Primary data were obtained through in-depth interviews with participants who met the criteria for the sandwich generation, while secondary data were sourced from academic literature, documents, and relevant previous studies. This study analysis uses the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping theory by Lazarus and Folkman and the Religious Coping theory by Kenneth Pargament. These two theories were chosen because they are able to explain how individuals deal with economic stress through two main approaches: problem-focused coping through hard work and emotion-focused coping through spiritual values ​​such as tawakal (trust), patience, and contentment (qana'ah). This study is expected to contribute to the psychological and religious understanding of workaholism behavior in the sandwich generation, while also enriching scientific studies on the balance between economic responsibility, spirituality, and mental health in the context of Indonesian culture.

ABSTRACT In pastoral ministry, as in other helping professions, stress cannot be avoided. Research has shown that this unavoidable stress can lead to negative or positive outcomes, depending on the resources available to each individual. This study, conducted on 203 Catholic priests in Rwanda, aimed to analyse the role of some coping strategies priests use to prevent the negative outcomes of stress they frequently experience. After performing moderation analysis, the results showed that religious coping prevents social dysfunction and loss of confidence; social support prevents emotional exhaustion, social dysfunction and loss of confidence; and various coping prevents emotional exhaustion. The same results showed that alcohol and cigarette consumption increases emotional exhaustion, social dysfunction, depression and anxiety, loss of confidence, and decreases satisfaction in ministry. These results provide important information, which can help to accurately design secondary prevention interventions for priests, depending on the type of stress-related outcomes to be prevented.

Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is a trauma- and stressor-related condition characterized by persistent and intense grief that significantly disrupts daily functioning. This study aimed to examine how bereaved young adults in Pakistan experience, interpret and cope with prolonged grief following the loss of a loved one. For this study qualitative research design by using semi-structured in-depth interviews with fifteen bereaved young adults. Data were analysed by using reflexive thematic analysis to capture participants’ subjective senses and emotional experiences of their grief. The analysis produced four interconnected themes such as identity disruption, persistent emotional dysregulation, social withdrawal and sprouting meanings of mourning over time. Participants labelled enduring grief marked by their emotional numbness, helplessness, hopelessness, loss of purpose and most of all difficulties readjusting to everyday life. Cultural potentials surrounding emotional restraint, family responsibility and the reliance on religious coping regularly limited open expression of their grief and delayed professional help-seeking behaviour. Notably, many research participants reported that grief usually intensified over time rather than diminishing and particularly following sudden or traumatic losses. These results of studies also bring out the fact that PGD and have a culturally ingrained nature highlight the necessity of grief specific symptoms, culturally sensitive and responsive workshops psychological treatment of young adults in Pakistani clinical and, educational institutions.

Prior research suggests that racialized emasculation-one of the main forms of gendered racism-is associated with adverse health outcomes among US Asian men, such as depressive and somatic symptoms. However, less is known about the relationship between racialized emasculation and resilience, which is a crucial protector against negative health outcomes. Furthermore, there is a lack of research on how US Asian men use religion to cope with racialized emasculation and its health impacts. To fill in these gaps, 469 US Asian men from across the US were surveyed. Regression results indicate that even after controlling for general racism, internalized racism, and a host of other sociodemographic variables, a rise in perceived racialized emasculation was associated with a decline in resilience. When it comes to religion, negative religious coping shared an inverse relationship with resilience. This religious effect may further interact with an individual's religious identity and perceived racialized emasculation to jointly influence the resilience of US Asian men.

ABSTRACT.Caregiving for older adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has intensified in Brazil, highlighting the emotional and physical burden faced by caregivers. Understanding the factors contributing to this burden is essential for developing more effective and sustainable support strategies.Objective:The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between coping strategies, caregiver burden, and perceived stress using network analysis.Methods:This was a quantitative, analytical, observational, and cross-sectional study with a final sample of 126 formal and informal caregivers from different regions of Brazil. Data were collected via an online questionnaire, using the Perceived Stress Scale, Zarit Burden Interview, and the Coping Strategies Inventory (EMEP). Statistical analysis was conducted with JASP software. Data showed non-parametric distribution, and Spearman's correlation and LASSO network analysis were applied.Results:Results revealed weak but significant positive correlations (p<0.05; r<0.40) among coping domains. Problem-focused coping was negatively correlated with burden (r=-0.34) and stress (r=-0.60), while emotion-focused coping showed positive correlations with both (r=0.40; r=0.42). Religious/fantasy coping and seeking social support were also positively associated with burden. The LASSO network highlighted emotion-focused and religious coping as central nodes. Problem-focused coping was negatively associated with stress, while emotional and religious strategies were linked to increased burden and stress. Centrality indices indicated emotional coping and religious practices as highly influential.Conclusion:These findings underscore the protective role of problem-focused coping and the need for targeted interventions to foster adaptive strategies and support caregiver well-being.

The use of social media, which has rapidly increased in recent years, directly or indirectly affects people's mental health. This study aims to determine the effect of learned helplessness (LH) on social media-induced secondary traumatic stress (STS-SM), and the role of quality of life and religious coping in this relationship in Türkiye. This cross-sectional study sample consisted of 397 Turkish Muslim adults. Results revealed significant links among LH, negative religious coping (NRC), and quality of life, with STS-SM. Moderation analyses revealed that perceived high quality of life moderated the positive effect of LH on STS-SM, while mediation analyses revealed that NRC partially mediated this relationship. The results support that disturbing content on social media can trigger traumatic stress, especially in individuals who feel helpless, and turn to negative religious coping, but the perceived high quality of life has a buffering effect.

This study aims to determine the levels of work stress among employees, identify their coping methods, and examine the differences between these factors and the employees' various characteristics. This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted at Yataş Mattress and Quilt Factory in Kayseri, Turkey, with the participation of 428 workers. Socio-demographic questions the Job Stress Scale, and the Coping Styles Scale were used as data collection tools. The statistical analyses included the unpaired t-test, one-way ANOVA test (post hoc Fisher LSD test), and Pearson's chi-square test. Statistical significance was considered for p-values below 0.05. The mean job stress score of the study group was 30.4 ± 5.1, with 53.0% of workers classified as stressed and 47.0% as highly stressed. The workers on daytime shifts and those with moderate self-perceived health reported significantly higher stress scores. The proportion of highly stressed workers was higher among the 18-30 age group. The most frequently used coping strategies were religious coping, planning and positive reinterpretation while the least used strategies were substance use, behavioral disengagement and humor. The job stress levels among factory workers are notably high. Supporting employees psychosocially and economically could help reduce work-related stress and enable more effective coping.

Depression among school students is a mental health problem that affects the learning process, academic motivation, and psychological development of students. In the context of educational psychology, adaptive coping strategies are needed that are in harmony with the characteristics of student development as well as cultural and religious values. This study aims to examine the role of sincerity as a form of spiritual coping in dealing with symptoms of depression among students in the school environment and to explore its implications for the practice of educational psychology and school guidance and counseling services. The study uses a narrative literature review approach from scientific articles published between 2020 and 2025 and obtained from accredited academic databases. A total of 12 articles discussing student mental health, academic stress, religious coping and educational psychology were analyzed thematically and narratively. The results of the literature review show a consistent pattern of findings that suggest that sincerity, as well as related concepts such as acceptance and tawakal (trust in God), are often associated with students' ability to cope with academic stress, manage negative emotions, and maintain psychological well-being. The literature reviewed also shows that the value of sincerity helps students interpret academic stress more adaptively and supports emotional stability. Conceptually, sincerity is in line with the principle of acceptance in modern psychology and can be positioned as a potential supporting factor in the psychological development of students in school. These findings emphasize the importance of integrating the value of sincerity into religious education, character education, and Islamic educational psychology-based school guidance and counseling services to support students' psychological well-being holistically and contextually.

This mixed-methods study examines the complex relationship between religious coping, moral injury, and burnout among Muslim healthcare professionals in the post-pandemic context. Quantitative data from 312 clinicians revealed that negative religious coping strongly correlated with both moral injury (r = 0.48, p < 0.001) and burnout (r = 0.52, p < 0.001), while positive religious coping served as a protective factor against burnout (r = - 0.34, p < 0.001) though showed limited impact on moral injury itself. Qualitative findings from 28 in-depth interviews identified four key themes: the dual nature of divine trust (Tawakkul) and predestination (Taqdir), the burden of sacred responsibility (Amanah), spiritual solace in ritual practice, and experiences of institutional and communal invalidation. The study demonstrates that Islamic religious frameworks function as both protective resources and potential sources of distress, highlighting the urgent need for spiritually informed support systems that address the unique psychological and theological dimensions of moral injury in Muslim clinicians.

The increasing prevalence of work-related stress, social uncertainty, and cognitive overload in modern society demands the development of religious coping strategies that are not only normative but also have a testable scientific basis, especially since there is still a lack of a conceptual model that integrates religious teachings with neuropsychological evidence. This study aims to formulate a conceptual model of religious coping based on tawakkal (religious trust), based on an analysis of the authenticity and meaning structure of hadiths, and to synthesize empirical evidence from the psychology of religion and neuroscience to explain the neuropsychological mechanisms of stress reduction associated with the practice of faith and submission to God. The study employed an integrative study design that included an analysis of the text of the ṣaḥīḥ hadith using sanad-matn criteria, a review of the psychology of religion literature from major databases such as PubMed and Scopus, and a synthesis of neuroimaging findings and stress biomarkers using a thematic synthesis approach. The results indicate that tawakkal functions as an active coping strategy that involves realistic cognitive appraisal, restructuring meaning by shifting perceptions of personal burden, strengthening a sense of control through belief in causal regularity, and internalizing adaptive expectations. Neuropsychological synthesis shows that religious practices consistent with the concept of tawakkal are associated with decreased amygdala activity, which reduces threat perception, increased prefrontal cortex involvement in emotion regulation, and activation of the reward system, which produces calm and adaptive motivation. These mechanisms contribute to decreased rumination, greater affective stability, and increased psychological resilience, thus making tawakkal a significant potential basis for developing religious coping theory and values-based psychological interventions.

Spirituality and religiousness are increasingly acknowledged as essential dimensions of holistic mental well-being. Over the past decade, increasing empirical research has highlighted the potential of spirituality and religiousness in enhancing resilience, coping abilities, emotional well-being, and overall mental health. This systematic review synthesizes current evidence on how spirituality and religiousness contribute to the promotion and maintenance of mental health among diverse populations. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2014 and 2025. Search strategies incorporated key terms related to spirituality, religiousness, and mental-health outcomes. A total of 1,330 articles were identified, of which 412 duplicates were removed. The remaining 918 records underwent title and abstract screening, followed by full-text assessment of 160 articles. Based on predefined inclusion criteria guided by PRISMA 2020 standards, 52 studies were finally included for review. Data extraction focused on methodological characteristics, variables measured, and primary outcomes. Most included studies reported that both spirituality and religiousness were positively associated with reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, greater life satisfaction, stronger coping capacities, and higher levels of personal resilience. Positive religious coping and spiritual practices were found to buffer psychological distress, whereas negative religious coping showed detrimental associations with mental-health indicators. The findings provide vigorous support for spirituality and religiousness as valuable protective resources in promoting mental health. Integrating spiritual and religious dimensions into mental-health services, prevention strategies, and culturally sensitive interventions may strengthen overall well-being. Future research is encouraged to employ longitudinal and cross-cultural designs to further clarify the pathways through which spirituality and religiousness influence mental-health outcomes.

This study examined the coping strategies of 40 mothers of children with special needs within Israeli Bedouin society, focusing on the prediction between mothers' narcissistic characteristics and their religious coping. The findings revealed two distinct maternal perspectives on a child's disability: (1) a pessimistic perspective (perceiving the disability as divine punishment), and (2) an optimistic perspective (perceiving the disability as divine gift/opportunity). The pessimistic reactions to the child's diagnosis included shock, fear and sorrow, while the optimistic view included feelings of love, caring and acceptance of the child. Regression analyses indicated that higher levels of narcissism predicted stronger negative religious coping but were unrelated to positive religious coping. Understanding the combination of religious and emotional perspectives contributing to Bedouin mothers' coping may help practitioners design and implement culturally sensitive interventions for a wide range of traditional populations.

This community service program aims to enhance the academic self-efficacy of Madrasah students through the internalization of positive language as a form of religious coping. The program was developed based on previous research findings indicating that religious coping through positive self-talk contributes significantly to the improvement of adolescents’ self-efficacy. Preliminary observations conducted at MA Darussa’adah revealed that many final-year students experienced low academic confidence, particularly in relation to pursuing higher education, due to perceived limited opportunities and socio-economic constraints.Using a community-based participatory approach, this program implemented a series of guided activities focusing on positive self-talk integrated with muhasabah (self-reflective religious practice). Language was positioned as an internal cognitive and affective tool that helps students regulate emotions, reconstruct self-perception, and strengthen belief in their academic abilities. The activities included reflective discussions, affirmation exercises, and guided muhasabah sessions designed to internalize positive and faith-based language patterns.The results of the program indicate an observable improvement in students’ academic self-efficacy, reflected in increased confidence, more positive self-statements, and stronger motivation to pursue higher education. This community service initiative demonstrates that the internalization of positive language within a religious coping framework can serve as an effective strategy to empower Madrasah students academically and psychologically. The program also highlights the potential integration of linguistic, educational, and religious approaches in community-based interventions for adolescent development.