Search Results (22)

Background: Religious coping is an important psychosocial resource that may influence how individuals adapt to chronic illnesses and engage in health-related behaviors. While studies have associated religion with the effective management of diabetes, the involvement of religious coping, both positive and negative, in the self-care of diabetic patients has been underexplored. The aim of this study was to quantify the association of religious coping with diabetes self-care among adults in Saudi Arabia. Methods: We used a cross-sectional study among 413 adults with diabetes. Positive and negative religious coping were assessed using the Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE), and diabetes self-care was measured using the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine associations between religious coping and diabetes self-care after adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. We also used quantile regression to assess whether associations varied across the distribution of diabetes self-care scores. Results: The finding showed that positive religious coping was significantly and positively associated with diabetes self-care (β = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.18 to 0.70), while negative religious coping did not show significant association (β = 0.04, 95% CI: −0.13 to 0.22). Quantile regression analyses demonstrated significant positive associations between positive religious coping and diabetes self-care at the 25th percentile (β = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.73), 50th percentile (β = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.89), and 75th percentile (β = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.92), with the strongest association observed at the 90th percentile (β = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.42 to 1.48). Negative religious coping was not significantly associated with self-care at any quantile. Conclusions: Our finding showed significant association between positive religious coping and diabetes self-care, whereas negative religious coping showed no significant association. The findings suggest that positive religious coping may represent an important psychosocial resource associated with diabetes self-care. Future longitudinal studies incorporating objective clinical outcomes are needed to further examine the role of religious coping in diabetes management. Full article

Spirituality and religiosity are increasingly recognized as important factors influencing mental health, particularly among women exposed to diverse vulnerabilities such as interpersonal violence, trauma, HIV infection, homelessness, and socioeconomic disadvantage. This systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence on the associations between spiritual or religious resources and mental health outcomes in these populations. A systematic search was conducted in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science to identify studies examining the association between spirituality, religiosity, and mental health outcomes in vulnerable women. A total of 28 studies were identified, including cross-sectional, longitudinal, and mixed-methods designs, which measured spirituality and religiosity using validated instruments such as SWBS, DUREL, FACIT-Sp-12, and Brief RCOPE, alongside standardized mental health measures. Narrative synthesis revealed that the majority of studies (n = 15) reported that higher spiritual well-being, intrinsic religiosity, and adaptive religious coping were associated with lower depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, and with higher resilience, quality of life, and post-traumatic growth. These associations appeared to be shaped by contextual factors, including the type and severity of trauma, cultural and religious frameworks, and the lived experiences of the populations studied. Negative associations were primarily linked to negative religious coping (n = 5 studies), rather than religiosity per se. Additional factors that attenuated or reversed the expected positive effects included higher trauma severity or ongoing adversity (n = 4), reactive patterns in which greater psychological distress was associated with increased use of religious coping (n = 3), maladaptive religious beliefs such as interpretations of trauma as divine punishment (n = 2), and cultural or contextual influences (n = 3). Overall, the evidence suggests that spirituality and specific dimensions of religiosity (e.g., intrinsic religiosity, religious coping) can support mental health among vulnerable women, though personal, cultural, and situational factors shape their impact. These findings suggest the potential value of integrating spiritual resources into interventions and the need for further longitudinal and culturally sensitive research. Full article

Background: Mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress are increasingly prevalent among university students and contribute to long-term cardio-cerebrovascular disease (CCVD) risk. However, limited research has examined the interplay between mental health, CCVD risk factors, and religiosity/spirituality within Southeast Asia’s multicultural context. Methods: This cross-sectional study investigated these relationships among 484 undergraduate students enrolled in medical and health sciences programs across Peninsular Malaysia. Mental health status was assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Self-reported clinical indicators associated with early CCVD vulnerability were also assessed. Religiosity and spirituality were measured using the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL), Brief Religious Coping (RCOPE), Spirituality Scale (SS), and Spiritual Coping Questionnaire (SCQ). Results: High prevalence rates of severe anxiety (50.4%), depression (29.3%), and stress (21.1%) were observed, with significant associations across ethnicity, religion, and academic programs. Higher religiosity and spirituality were generally associated with better mental health outcomes. However, coping style emerged as a key modifier of the relationship between religiosity/spirituality and mental health outcomes, with negative religious coping associated with greater psychological distress, whereas positive coping demonstrated mixed associations and partial mediating effects. Students with poorer mental health also exhibited higher CCVD risk burden. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of culturally and spiritually sensitive strategies in promoting student well-being. Full article

Spirituality and religiosity (S/R) are significant dimensions in mental health care and provide an important foundation for spiritual care, particularly in sociocultural contexts where religious beliefs are deeply embedded in personal and collective life. This study investigates the role of S/R in the treatment of psychiatric patients hospitalized in a private mental health clinic in southern Brazil. Using validated instruments—the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS-10BR), the Brief-RCOPE-14, and the Inventory of Attachment to God (IAD-Br)—the study assessed religious centrality, coping strategies, and attachment styles to God among 100 participants. Based on CRS parameters, the sample was classified as predominantly “religious.” The findings revealed that most patients identified with some form of religion or belief in God, reported moderate to high levels of positive religious coping, and predominantly exhibited secure attachment patterns. Statistically significant correlations were observed between higher religiosity, greater use of positive coping strategies, and lower avoidance in the relationship with God. Despite these findings, spiritual and religious aspects were rarely addressed in clinical interactions. The findings are discussed through the lens of clinical bioethics, emphasizing the ethical relevance of spirituality and religiosity in psychiatric care and highlighting the relevance of developing practical approaches to spiritual care within a whole-person, patient-centered model. Full article

The Brief Religious Coping Scale (B-RCOPE) is a widely recognized instrument for assessing how individuals draw upon religious coping strategies in response to life stressors. Religious coping is particularly salient among many in the Latinx community; however, shifting settlement patterns and increasing sociodemographic diversity among Latinx immigrants in the United States (U.S.) necessitate a more nuanced approach to its measurement; (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study examined the religious coping of a growing but understudied population—Latinx emerging adults (ages 18–29; N = 150)—and conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the English-language B-RCOPE within this group; (3) Results: Findings revealed that participants in our sample made only modest use of religious coping to manage life challenges. Analyses supported the original two-dimensional factor structure (i.e., positive and negative religious coping) of the English B-RCOPE, while also indicating that a more parsimonious 12-item version performs comparably to the full 14 items; (4) Conclusions: This study documents the usability and appropriateness of the abbreviated version and offers practitioners a culturally relevant and efficient tool for examining religious coping practices and trends among Latinx emerging adults. Full article

This study explored the relationship between Perceived Stress and Religious Coping levels among Muslim emerging adults of Pakistani origin living in Pakistan and Muslim emerging adults of Pakistani origin living in the United States (US). Participants (Pakistani Origin Muslims Living in Pakistan, n = 103; and Pakistani Origin Muslims Living in the US, n = 50) were between 18–25 years old. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and Brief R-Cope scale were administered using an online format. Results indicated that negative religious coping strategies were associated with higher perceived stress in both groups while positive religious coping strategies showed a weaker association with lower perceived stress levels, and this finding appeared only in the US sample. Marital status was also an important predictor of perceived stress. These findings demonstrate that Muslim emerging adults, irrespective of culture, show moderately similar patterns in their perception of stress and their utilization of religious coping strategies. Full article

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious issue and a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Caregivers of TBI patients experience psychological distress and a variety of social and financial issues. The present study aims to investigate the caregiver’s burden and the factors that influence this burden. Furthermore, the present study will find out the association of religious practice, religious coping relations and psychological distress among caregivers of children affected with TBI. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 302 caregivers of children with TBI using Duke University Religion Index (DURL) for religious practice. General Health Questionaire-12 (GHQ-12) was used for anxiety and depression and Brief Religious Coping Scale (RCOPE) was used for coping strategies. The caregivers were conveniently chosen from different regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and data was collected from different tertiary care hospitals in Peshawar. Results: Forty-nine (49) % of caregivers score ≥ 3 on GHQ suffer from psychological distress with a Mean of 20.957 ± 4.175). Positive coping methods were mostly used by caregivers than negative coping have a low level of distress with a Mean Positive Coping (P-COPE ) of 6.93 ± 0.41, Mean of Negative Coping (N-COPE) 0.486 ± 1.023. In religious practice, caregivers mostly participate in Organized Reliogious Activities (ORA) or some Non-Organized Reliogious Activities (NORA) with a Mean ORA of 4.20 ± 1.27, and NORA Mean of 4.17 ± 1.37 used by the caregivers. Coping methods were related to Caregiver psychological distress (GHQ-12 and P-COPE co-relation scores are (ρ −0.022, p b 0.05); GHQ-12 scores and N-COPE (ρ + 0.221=, p b 0.001). There is a negative correlation between GHQ 12 and PCOPE, while GHQ12 is positively correlated with NCOPE. Conclusion: According to this study, there is a significant association between religious coping methods, religious practice, and psychological distress among caregivers of children with traumatic brain injury. Full article

Background: Coping is a multifactorial and individual process related to responding to stressful situations, such as being a caregiver of a relative with health conditions. Spiritual/religious coping is an important internal resource used by individuals enduring stressful situations. The 14-item Brief RCOPE is a widely used instrument but not available in European Portuguese. Objective: To translate, adapt and validate the 14-item Brief RCOPE in Portuguese caregivers of an adult relative with a health condition. Method: The methodological guideline provided by Sousa and Rojjanasrirat was used to examine the psychometric properties of the Brief RCOPE. Results: The linguistic and conceptual equivalence of the scale was determined. The internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach’s α = 0.86). The Principal Axis Factor (PAF) analysis with varimax rotation identified two factors made up of 13 items, and one item was excluded from the scale. Conclusion: The European Portuguese version of the Brief RCOPE is a reliable and valid measure for assessing religious coping of family caregivers of adults with health conditions. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions imposed that changed the teaching and learning activities may add a psychological impact to the existing academic stress faced by university students. Past studies have associated low levels of psychological disorder with high religiosity and positive religious coping (RC). This study aimed to determine the level of psychological disorder among university students in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic and measure their association with religiosity and religious coping (RC). An online cross-sectional survey was conducted between March and June 2020 involving 450 students. The survey instruments consisted of sociodemographic proforma, Duke University Religious Index (DUREL) for religiosity, Brief RCOPE Scale for RC and General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) for psychological disorder; 36% of the participants experienced psychological disorder. Younger age, being a Muslim, living in the Green/Yellow zone and higher negative RC were significantly associated with psychological disorder. Higher positive RC was found to be protective against psychological disorder. However, the level of religiosity had no significant association with psychological disorder. In conclusion, the level of psychological disorder among university students has been high during the pandemic. Measures and interventions focusing on positive RC and reducing negative RC are recommended to improve the psychological well-being. Full article

Religious commitment is a significant factor for the development of strengths of character. Previous studies have confirmed that for religious people, it is not religious affiliation but religious orientation that has influenced positive outcomes. The purpose of the research was to verify whether religious commitment moderates the relationship between faith and strengths of character in a sample of religious students from Poland. A cross-sectional investigation of 393 Polish students was performed with using following measures: the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSORFQ), the Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations (TRIM) scale, the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6), the Purpose in Life Test (PIL) test, the Herth Hope Index (HHI), the Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE), and two one-item tools measuring religious practices such as frequency of prayer and attendance at Mass. The obtained results confirmed the moderating role of prayer, mass attendance, and positive religious coping on faith and meaning in life as well as hope. Additionally, positive religious coping moderated the relationships between faith and gratitude as well as between faith and motivation to avoid transgressors. The research has proven that faith without religious commitment is not a strong enough factor to improve strengths of character, and being a believer but not practicing religion is not sufficient to lead a person to finding meaning in life, having enhanced hope, or being able to forgive. Full article

Religion is an important factor of life satisfaction for adolescents. This relationship is complex and depends on religiousness indicators used, religious affiliation, sex, age, and some cultural aspects. The aim of the study was to examine whether positive religious coping moderates the relationships between religious practices, as well as God’s support and life satisfaction. Additionally, the mediating role of religious commitment between faith and life satisfaction was tested. Methods: The sample in this study consisted of 315 Polish Roman Catholic female students. The following tools were used: the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSORFQ), the Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE), the Religious Support Scale (RSS), and two one-item measures regarding frequency of prayer and Mass attendance. Results: The moderating role of positive religious coping between prayer, as well as God’s support and life satisfaction, was confirmed. Additionally, positive religious coping, God’s support, prayer, and Mass attendance mediated between faith and life satisfaction. Conclusion: The research has proven that faith negatively influenced adolescents’ life satisfaction both directly and directly through positive religious coping and Mass attendance. A beneficial indirect effect of faith on life satisfaction through God’s support and prayer was confirmed. It was also found that using positive religious coping with an above-average frequency of religious practices improved the life satisfaction among female students. Full article

Till the early 2000s, the Russian “religious renaissance” caused by the collapse of the USSR had been characterized by the rapid growth of religiosity. However, these spiritual changes had been occurring within the Russian Orthodox church and among Evangelical Christians in different manners. Evangelical communities are still relatively small; however their members are highly devoted to their traditions. Meanwhile, Orthodox religiosity is primarily characterized by the nominal self-identification of believers and relatively low level of religious practices’ intensity. The article presents the study results (2017–2019) of the spiritual well-being of Orthodox and Evangelical Christians and its basic confessional and social determinants. The results demonstrate a strong correlation between the enchurchment level and the spiritual well-being level. The authors place particular emphasis on the role of religious coping that determines subjective well-being. The analysis confirmed that the positive ways of religious coping are determined by the regularity of religious practices and the believers’ social capital. We interpret the peculiarities of Orthodox and Evangelicals’ spiritual well-being in the light of differences between their church life’s arrangements which are defined by the believers’ practical religiosity and social capital. Full article

Given that elite athletes experience a wide range of different emotions (e.g., anxiety, anger, dejection, excitement) toward upcoming sporting environments, it is surprising that researchers have given limited attention to the linkages between varied emotional experiences and diverse coping (unaccustomed) among athletes from diverse backgrounds. This study investigated the impact of religious coping, as opposed to conventional psychological skills, to ascertain whether these coping options influence elite student-athletes’ emotional reactions across gender, competitive status, and religion. Using a descriptive cross-sectional survey design, self-reported discrete emotions and religious coping were measured with the Sport Emotion Questionnaire (SEQ) and Brief-Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE) after 300 selected athletes were conveniently chosen. A factorial multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) after controlling for age revealed no significant interactions for between-subject factors (gender, status, religion) across all the discrete emotions and religious coping dimensions. However, significant main effects were realized for competitive status and religion on only anger, anxiety, dejection, and negative religious coping. A follow-up multiple regression analysis identified religion as the most significant predictor of anger, anxiety, and dejection, whereas competitive status was the most associated variable for negative religious coping. Current findings suggest that athletes’ unpleasant or negative emotions were linked to negative religious coping, a maladaptive coping mechanism that may hinder attaining optimal emotional state prior to competition. Therefore, these athletes need purposeful strategies (e.g., positive religious coping, motivational strategies) that may improve weakened beliefs based on their struggles before competition. The development of appropriate psychological intervention framework that maintains respect for athletes’ religious identities for improved psychological well-being is also warranted. Full article

Anxiety and depression have been prevalent among Healthcare Workers (HCWs) amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety and depression among HCWs amid the pandemic and their association with religious coping. A cross-sectional study design was applied. The scales utilized were Malay versions of the Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE M) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS M). In total, 200 HCWs were recruited. HCWs scored higher in positive religious coping (mean: 21.33) than negative religious coping (mean: 10.52). The prevalence of anxiety and depression was 36.5% and 29.5%. Both positive and negative religious coping were significantly associated with anxiety (p < 0.01) and depression (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). Positive coping predicted reduction in anxiety (adjusted b = −0.15, p = 0.001) and log-transformed depression score (adjusted b = −0.019, p = 0.025). Negative coping predicted increment of anxiety (adjusted b = 0.289, p < 0.001) and log-transformed depression score (adjusted b = 0.052, p < 0.001). Positive religious coping is vital in reducing anxiety and depression among HCWs amid the pandemic. Strategies which increase positive religious coping and reduce negative religious coping must be emphasized to boost mental health among HCWs. Full article

Background. This study aimed to evaluate the potential relationships between religious coping, hopelessness, and suicide ideation in adult outpatients with the first episode of major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods. Ninety-four adult outpatients with MDD were assessed through the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and the Scale of Suicide Ideation (SSI). Religious coping was assessed with the Italian version of the Brief RCOPE scale, consisting of seven positive coping items (PosCop) and seven negative coping items (NegCop). Results. The results showed that the Brief RCOPE PosCop scale exhibited a strong inverse correlation with HAM-D, BHS, and SSI, whereas HAM-D and BHS were positively correlated with SSI. Brief RCOPE NegCop scores were positively correlated only with SSI. Regression analysis with SSI as the dependent variable showed that higher Brief RCOPE PosCop scores were associated with lower suicide ideation, whereas higher HAM-D and BHS scores were associated with higher suicide ideation. Conclusion. Positive religious coping may be a protective factor against the development of suicide ideation, perhaps counteracting the severity of depressive symptoms and hopelessness. The evaluation of religious coping should be performed in all subjects with MDD in everyday clinical practice. However, this study was preliminary, and limitations must be considered. Full article