Religiosity is Associated with Affective Status in Symptomatic HIV-infected African-American Women

This study examined the relationship between religiosity and the affective and immune status of 33 HIV-seropositive mildly symptomatic African-American women (CDC stage B) in a replication of a prior study that reported an association between religiosity and affective and immune status in HIV-seropositive gay men. All women completed an intake interview, a set of psychosocial questionnaires, and provided a venous blood sample. Consistent with prior work, factor analysis of 12 religious-oriented response items revealed two distinct aspects to religiosity: religious coping and religious behavior. Religious coping (e.g. placing trust in God, seeking comfort in religion) was significantly associated with lower depression and anxiety. Regression analyses revealed the association between religious coping and depressive symptoms appears to be mediated by an active coping style. However, the association between religious coping and anxiety does not appear to be mediated by either active coping or sense of self-efficacy in these women. In contrast to prior work, neither religious coping nor religious behavior was significantly associated with immune status as measured by T helper-inducer (CD41) cell counts.     

Guilt, discord, and alienation: the role of religious strain in depression and suicidality

Although religion is usually portrayed as a source of comfort, individuals may also experience strain in their religious lives. Associations between religious variables and psychological distress were examined within two groups: a nonclinical sample of 200 college students and a clinical sample of 54 persons seeking outpatient psychotherapy. Participants reported more comfort than strain associated with religion. Religious strain was associated with greater depression and suicidality, regardless of religiosity levels or the degree of comfort found in religion. Depression was associated with feelings of alienation from God and, among students, with interpersonal conflicts on religious domains. Suicidality was associated with religious fear and guilt, particularly with belief in having committed an unforgivable sin. Religious strain, along with religiosity, was associated with greater interest in addressing religious issues in psychotherapy. These results highlight the role of religious strain as a potentially important indicator of psychological distress.     

Jewish Spirituality, Depression, and Health: an Empirical Test of a Conceptual Framework

Background

Little is known about the links between spirituality and mental health among Jews.

Purpose

This study assessed trust/mistrust in God and religious coping and examined their relationships to depressive symptoms and physical health. Religious affiliation and intrinsic religiousness were examined as moderating variables and religious coping was examined as a mediator.

Method

Anonymous internet surveys were completed by 208 Jewish women and men of diverse denominations who resided primarily in the USA.

Results

Trust in God and positive religious coping were associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms and mistrust in God and negative religious coping were associated with greater depressive symptoms. Intrinsic religiosity showed a small moderation effect for mistrust in God and negative religious coping in relation to depressive symptoms and for trust in God in relation to physical health. Further, positive religious coping fully mediated the link between trust in God and less depressive symptoms and negative religious coping fully mediated the relationship between mistrust in God and greater depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

The data lend themselves to a possible integrative cognitive-coping model, in which latent core beliefs about the Divine activate coping strategies during times of distress, which in turn impact psychological health. The findings highlight the potential clinical significance of spirituality to mental health among Jews and provide a basis for future longitudinal, experimental, and treatment outcome research.     

Religious coping, ethnicity, and ambulatory blood pressure

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between religious coping, ethnicity, and ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) measured during daily life. METHODS: A 24-hour ABP was obtained from 155 men and women (78 African American and 77 white) on a typical workday. ABP was averaged over awake and sleep periods, and clinic BP was also assessed. Psychosocial measures of coping style, negative affect, social support, stress, and health behaviors were completed before ABP measurement. RESULTS: Multiple regression analyses, controlling for demographic variables, revealed a significant religious coping by ethnicity interaction for ABP (p < .01) and clinic BP (p < .05). Religious coping was not related to BP among whites. Among African Americans, however, higher levels of religious coping were associated with lower awake (p < .05) and sleep (p < .01) ABP. Social support satisfaction also was related to lower awake ABP among African Americans, but it did not mediate the relationship between religious coping and ABP. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study extend previous findings by showing that, among African Americans, religious coping and BP are related during daily activities as well as in the clinic. Lower 24-hour BP load may be a pathway through which religiosity and cardiovascular health are related.     

Relationship between religiosity,religious coping and socio-demographic variables among out-patients with depression or diabetes mellitus in Enugu,Nigeria

BackgroundReligion is a powerful coping strategy. Diabetes and depression are common conditions in our environment that induce psychological distress, thus requiring coping for better outcome. Studies indicate that increased religiosity is associated with better outcome in clinical and general populations. Therefore, studies of the distribution of religiosity and religious coping among these populations are essential to improve outcome.ObjectivesTo assess the association between religiosity, religious coping in depression and diabetes mellitus, and selected sociodemographic variables (age, gender and occupational status).MethodsUsing simple random sampling we recruited 112 participants with diabetes and an equal number with depression consecutively, matching for gender. Religiosity was determined using religious orientation scale (revised), religious coping with brief religious coping scale and socio-demographic variables with a socio-demographic questionnaire.ResultsIntrinsic religiosity was greater among older people with depression than among older people with diabetes(t=5.02,p<0.001); no significant difference among young people with depression and diabetes(t=1.47,p=0.15).Positive religious coping was greater among older people with depression than among older people with diabetes(t=2.31,p=0.02); no difference among young people with depression and diabetes(t=0.80,p=0.43). Females with depression had higher intrinsic religiosity scores than males with depression(t=3.85,p<0.001); no difference in intrinsic religiosity between females and males with diabetes(t=0.99,p=0.32).Positive religious coping was greater among participants with diabetes in the low occupational status(t=2.96,p<0.001) than those in the high occupational status.ConclusionReligion is indeed a reliable coping method, most commonly used by the elderly and females with depression. Positive religious coping is more common among diabetic patients who are in the low occupational status.     

The roles of religion and spirituality among African American survivors of domestic violence

The investigation examined religious involvement, spirituality, religious coping, and social support as correlates of posttraumatic stress symptoms and depression symptoms in African American survivors of domestic violence. Sixty-five African American women who experienced domestic violence in the past year provided data on demographics, severity and frequency of physical and psychological abuse during the past year, aspects of current social support, types of current coping activities, religious involvement, spiritual experiences, and symptoms related to depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Women who evinced higher levels of spirituality and greater religious involvement reported fewer depression symptoms. Religious involvement was also found to be negatively associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms. Women who reported higher levels of spirituality reported utilizing higher levels of religious coping strategies, and women who reported higher levels of religious involvement reported higher levels of social support. Results did not support hypotheses regarding social support and religious coping as mediators of the associations between mental health variables, religious involvement, and spirituality.     

Struggling and enduring with God, religious support, and recovery from severe mental illness

Objectives: People with severe mental illnesses may achieve varying degrees of recovery, including symptom reduction and community integration. Research also indicates that religiosity facilitates coping with psychological disorders. In this study, we assessed the relationship between religiosity and recovery from severe mental illnesses. Design: Self‐report data were collected from 81 participants with severe mental illnesses. We measured recovery, religious support, and participants' struggle or endurance with faith. Results: Religious support and enduring with faith were positively associated with recovery. Struggling was negatively associated with recovery, and that relationship was mediated by religious support. Conclusions: Religious variables, including religious support and spiritual struggle, might affect recovery from severe mental illnesses. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 67:1–16, 2011.     

Church support networks of African Americans: The impact of gender and religious involvement

We examined the sociodemographic and religious involvement correlates of church support networks in a nationally representative sample of African Americans across the adult life span. Data from the National Survey of American Life was used for analysis. Ordinary least squares regression was conducted to identify correlates of frequency of contact, subjective closeness, provision and receipt of overall support, receipt of emotional support, and negative interactions with church members. We also investigated differences in church support networks separately for men and women. Religious involvement was positively associated with church support network indicators (i.e., frequency of contact). Church support network indicators also varied by age, gender, education, family income, marital status, and region. The findings indicate that for many African Americans, church members are an integral component of their support networks and underscore the importance of social integration in church networks for social support exchanges. Moreover, these church support network characteristics are patterned by sociodemographic characteristics.     

God's will,God's punishment,or God's limitations? Religious coping strategies reported by young adults living with serious mental illness

Qualitative research has demonstrated that religious meaning-making coping, defined as attributions of a stressful life event that involve the sacred, is particularly relevant to persons with serious mental illness. However, recent research advances in the study of religious coping have yet to be employed in clinical samples. This longitudinal study examines religious meaning-making coping in a sample of 48 young adults diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder over a one-year period. Young adults with mental illness generally reported using religious meaning-making coping in levels comparable to nonpsychiatric samples. Reports of benevolent religious reappraisals were associated with perceptions of positive mental health, whereas punishing God reappraisals and reappraisals of God's power were associated with self-reported distress and personal loss. Religious coping variables accounted for variation in adults' reports of psychiatric symptoms and personal loss one year later over and above demographic and global religious variables. Implications of findings for clinical practice are discussed.     

Does negative religious coping accompany, precede, or follow depression among Orthodox Jews?

Background

Cross sectional research suggests that negative religious coping (e.g., anger at God and religious disengagement) strongly correlates with depression and anxiety. However, causality is difficult to establish as negative coping can accompany, cause, or result from distress. Among Orthodox Jews, some studies have found correlations between negative religious coping and anxiety and depression, while others found that high levels of negative coping related with decreased distress. We therefore examined longitudinal relationships between negative coping and depressive symptoms among Orthodox Jews.

Methods

Participants (80 Orthodox Jews) completed the Jewish Religious Coping Scale and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies' Depression Scale at two times. Using Structural Equation Modeling, we compared four models describing possible causal patterns.

Results

Negative religious coping and depressive symptoms were linearly related. Furthermore, a model including negative coping as a predictor of future depression fit the data best and did not significantly differ from a saturated model.

Limitations

This research was limited by reliance on self-report measures, an internet sample, and examination of only negative religious coping.

Conclusions

Consistent with a “primary spiritual struggles” conceptualization, negative religious coping appears to precede and perhaps cause future depression among Orthodox Jews. Clinical interventions should target spiritual struggles, and more research integrating this construct into theory and practice is warranted.     

The many methods of religious coping: development and initial validation of the RCOPE

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a new theoretically based measure that would assess the full range of religious coping methods, including potentially helpful and harmful religious expressions. The RCOPE was tested on a large sample of college students who were coping with a significant negative life event. Factor analysis of the RCOPE in the college sample yielded factors largely consistent with the conceptualization and construction of the subscales. Confirmatory factor analysis of the RCOPE in a large sample of hospitalized elderly patients was moderately supportive of the initial factor structure. Results of regression analyses showed that religious coping accounted for significant unique variance in measures of adjustment (stress-related growth, religious outcome, physical health, mental health, and emotional distress) after controlling for the effects of demographics and global religious measures (frequency of prayer, church attendance, and religious salience). Better adjustment was related to a number of coping methods, such as benevolent religious reappraisals, religious forgiveness/purification, and seeking religious support. Poorer adjustment was associated with reappraisals of God's powers, spiritual discontent, and punishing God reappraisals. The results suggest that the RCOPE may be useful to researchers and practitioners interested in a comprehensive assessment of religious coping and in a more complete integration of religious and spiritual dimensions in the process of counseling.     

Trajectories of mothers’ emotional availability: relations with infant temperament in predicting attachment security

The present study examined observations of parenting quality (mothers’ emotional availability – EA) during infant bedtimes at 4 points across the infants’ first year, assessing relations between levels and trajectories of EA and infant attachment at 12 months and the role of infant temperament in moderating these associations. The sample (N = 128) was predominantly Euro-American (82.5%) and at low socioeconomic risk. Latent growth curve modeling with latent basis coefficients indicated substantial individual differences in initial levels and slopes in EA trajectories across the first year. Both levels of maternal EA and EA trajectories across the first year predicted 12-month infant attachment security. Although maternal EA tended to decrease across the first year in the full sample, EA trajectories that showed a “bounce-back” between 6 and 12 months, suggesting more successful maternal adaptation to an expanding infant developmental repertoire, predicted greater infant security at 12 months. In addition, linkages between latent EA trajectories and 12-month attachment were moderated by 3-month infant temperamental reactivity and regulation. These findings indicate that infant attachment security is sensitive to both static and dynamic aspects of parenting quality across the first year, and that infant temperament can interact with both in predicting infant attachment.     

Religious coping among jews: development and initial validation of the JCOPE

Numerous studies have underscored the importance of religious coping in psychological health and illness; however, the majority of research in this area has been conducted with Christian samples and knowledge about other religious groups is lacking. Although recent investigations have developed scales to measure religious coping among Hindus and Muslims, the potential for future research in Jewish populations remains limited as no measures of religious coping have been validated in the general Jewish community. This two‐part study reports on the development and validation of the 16‐item Jewish Religious Coping Scale (JCOPE). In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis identified two factors reflecting positive and negative religious coping strategies, and the concurrent validity for the measure was evaluated by examining correlations with indices of Jewish beliefs and practices. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) verified the JCOPE's 2‐factor structure, and the scale's incremental validity was evaluated by examining Jewish religious coping as a predictor of psychological distress over and above significant covariates. Results suggest that the JCOPE has good psychometric properties, and that religious coping is a significant predictor of psychological distress among Jews. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 65: 1–14, 2009.     

Relationships between catastrophic thoughts, perceived control and distress during menopausal hot flushes: exploring the correlates of a questionnaire measure

OBJECTIVES: Many studies have established that highly negative or catastrophic thoughts about chronic health problems such as pain are associated with greater distress, lower self-efficacy for dealing with the problem and depressed mood. This study examined whether highly negative (or 'catastrophic') appraisals of hot flush experiences were associated with greater distress and lower perceived control regarding this menopausal problem. DESIGN: A postal survey was carried out, with a follow-up 12 months later. METHODS: Two questionnaires were initially completed by a volunteer sample of 61 women currently experiencing hot flushes. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative data were collected, including a Catastrophic Thoughts Questionnaire (CTQ) measure of catastrophic thoughts, based in part on Rosenstiel AK and Keefe FJ. The use of coping strategies in chronic low back pain patients: relationship to patient characteristics and current adjustment. Pain 1983;17:33-44. Thirty nine women who continued to report hot flushes were followed up 12 months later. RESULTS: Ratings to each item of the CTQ were highly intercorrelated. Women reporting more catastrophic thoughts tended to be lower in perceived control over flushes. Respondents' reported distress during hot flushes was more closely related to their frequency of negative thoughts about the problem, than to perceived control, flush chronicity or daily frequency of flushes. Over 12 months, respondents showed a highly stable pattern of catastrophic thoughts, and continued links with levels of distress during flush episodes. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive appraisal processes that undermine coping with other chronic health problems seem also relevant to understanding the distress triggered by intermittent, unpredictable flush episodes. The findings imply that women may develop improved tolerance for menopausal flushing through challenging negative interpretations of the experience.     

Implicit loneliness,emotion regulation,and depressive symptoms in breast cancer survivors

Among individuals coping with cancer, emotional approach coping—expressing and processing emotions following negative events—has been identified as a potentially adaptive form of emotion regulation. However, its mental health benefits may depend on social-cognitive factors and on how it is implemented. This study examined loneliness as a determinant of emotion regulation associations with depressive symptoms in women with breast cancer. Loneliness was examined as an implicit social-cognitive phenomenon (i.e., automatic views of oneself as lonely), and emotional expression and processing were examined as both explicit and implicit processes. Approximately 11 months after diagnosis, 390 women completed explicit measures of coping through cancer-related emotional expression and processing; an implicit measure of expression and processing (an essay-writing task submitted to linguistic analysis); and an implicit association test measuring loneliness. Depressive symptoms were assessed 3 months later. Regardless of implicit loneliness, self-reported emotional expression (but not emotional processing) predicted fewer depressive symptoms, whereas implicit expression of negative emotion during essay-writing predicted more symptoms. Only among women high in implicit loneliness, less positive emotional expression and more causal processing during the writing task predicted more depressive symptoms. Results suggest that explicit and implicit breast cancer-related emotion regulation have distinct relations with depressive symptoms, and implicit loneliness moderates effects of implicit emotional approach. Findings support implicit processes as influential mechanisms of emotion regulation and suggest targets for intervention among breast cancer survivors.     

Parents of Children with Cancer: A Longitudinal Study of Emotional Distress, Coping Style, and Marital Adjustment Two and Twenty Months After Diagnosis

Evaluated emotional distress, coping style, and marital adjustmentin 84 parents (42 couples) of children with cancer 2 monthsafter diagnosis and again about 20 months after diagnosis. Asexpected, mothers' mean state anxiety and trait anxiety scoresdecreased to near normal levels over time. Fathers' scores werelower initially and did not change. Neither mothers' nor fathers'mean marital adjustment scores changed over time. Marital adjustmentat treatment follow-up was predicted by depression and the spouse'smarital satisfaction in mothers, and depression, child healthstatus, and spouse's marital satisfaction in fathers. In contrastto findings obtained 2 months after diagnosis, coping stylewas not related to marital adjustment at follow-up. Resultsare discussed in terms of possible gender differences in therole of social support in marital adjustment and the stabilityversus situational specificity of coping styles.     

First-degree relatives of breast-cancer patients: cognitive perceptions,coping, and adherence to breast self-examination

The author assessed patterns of breast self-examination (BSE) related to cognitive appraisal, coping, and emotional distress in 80 women with first-degree relatives who were breast-cancer patients and 47 matched controls. Participants with first-degree relatives adhered to BSE better than did women with no family history of breast cancer, and women whose relatives had recurrent or metastatic disease performed more BSE than those whose relatives were currently disease free. Greater adherence to BSE was associated with lower levels of depression, more problem-focused coping, older age, and more education. In the women with first-degree relatives, BSE was also associated with higher perceptions of (a) control over prevention, (b) risk for breast cancer, and (c) higher levels of state anxiety. Perception of control, problem-focused coping, depression, and anxiety predicted 35% of the variance in adherence to BSE. The findings suggest that cognitive appraisal, coping strategies, and levels of emotional distress should be considered in designing programs for enhancing adherence to early detection procedures.     

Christian religious functioning and trauma outcomes

While some trauma survivors find their faith helpful in recovery, others find it a source of distress, and still others abandon their faith. More complex conceptualizations of religious functioning are needed to explore its relationship with trauma. This study explores such relationships using measures of religious action and behaviors in a community sample of 327 church-going, self-identified trauma survivors. A principal components analysis of positive and negative religious coping, religious comforts and strains, and prayer functions identified two dimensions: Seeking Spiritual Support, which was positively related to posttraumatic growth, and Religious Strain, which was positively related to posttraumatic symptoms.     

A longitudinal study on the role of spirituality in response to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer

This longitudinal study addressed the role of spirituality in women’s response to breast cancer. Ninety-three women diagnosed with breast cancer were assessed on various measures of image of God, positive attitude, social well-being and emotional distress at pre-diagnosis, 6 months post-surgery and 1 year post-surgery. As compared to women who dropped out of the study, this sample reported religion to be less important in their daily lives. Path analyses showed evidence of direct and indirect effects of positive and negative images of God on emotional distress in cross-sectional but not longitudinal data. A positive image of God was related to greater concurrent distress while a negative image of God was indirectly related to greater distress through the pathways of social well-being and positive attitude. In the longitudinal path model, a pre-diagnosis measure of religious salience was the only aspect of spirituality that predicted an increase in distress at 1 year post-surgery. The cross-sectional analyses provided limited support for the “religious/spiritual mobilization” hypothesis as put forth by Pargament (The psychology of religion and coping. New York: Guilford Press, 1997). There was also limited support for the mediator variables of positive attitude and social well-being as mechanisms through which spirituality influences adjustment. Finally, there was no support that spirituality acted in a protective manner rather the negative elements of spirituality were more prominent in relation to various aspects of women’s adjustment to breast cancer. Such results suggest that women who were less spiritually/religiously involved prior to the onset of breast cancer and who attempt to mobilize these resources under the stress of diagnosis may experience a negative process of spiritual struggle and doubt that, in turn, has implications for their long-term adjustment.

Adjustment to a dyadic stressor: a longitudinal study of coping and depressive symptoms in infertile couples over an insemination attempt

In a study designed to examine how intimate partners' coping processes with regard to infertility predicted depressive symptoms across the course of a treatment cycle, 43 couples completed assessments in the week prior to and the week after receiving a negative pregnancy result from an alternate insemination attempt by the partner. Depressive symptoms in both partners increased significantly after the pregnancy result receipt. As hypothesized, avoidant coping predicted increased distress over time. and approach-oriented coping (e.g., problem-focused coping, emotional processing, and expression) predicted decreased distress. Coping strategies engaged in by both individuals and partners predicted depressive symptoms, and for women, interactions also emerged between their own and their partners' coping.