Different Relations of Religion and Mental Health (original) (raw)
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Counseling and Values, 2018
The authors assessed religious commitment's moderating effect on the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in adult Liberian refugees who experienced trauma from war (N = 444). Results indicated that religious commitment predicted PTG and had an interaction effect on the relationship between trauma and PTG, albeit a negative one. Counselors should therefore gauge clients' worldviews in terms of religion or spirituality before integrating spiritual or religious issues in therapy.
The Relations of Religiosity, Social Support, and Acculturation Attitudes Among Refugees
2019
Refugees are entering the United States in increasing numbers. Identifying factors that promote successful acculturation is an important task for those working to help refugees. As religiosity and social support have previously been linked to better mental health outcomes in refugees, they should be considered when examining acculturation. Using the Duke University Religious Index, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Acculturation Attitudes Scale, this study examined the relations between religiosity, perceived social support, and acculturation strategies. Additional variables examined were number of migrations, language of religious services currently attended, and religious services demographics. Hypotheses were that scores on religiosity and social support measures would correlate positively with the strategy of integration and negatively with the strategy of marginalization. An increased number of migrations was hypothesized to be associated with incr...
Post-traumatic growth among Syrian refugees in Turkey: the role of coping strategies and religiosity
Current Psychology, 2020
As the 9th year of the Syrian Civil War rages on, this paper explores the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and post-traumatic growth (PTG) among Syrian refugees in Turkey, with the aim of determining the role of coping styles in this community that displays increasing PTG levels, while controlling for the religiosity factor. 805 Syrian refugees completed self-reported surveys which measured trauma exposure, PTSD, PTG, coping styles, religiosity, and other demographics. PTSD scores revealed high clinical concern for 83% of the study population, with moderate levels of concurrent PTG. When compared with emotion-focused coping styles, utilising problem-focused coping mechanisms (PFCs) predicted greater PTG. Besides PFCs, the intensity of intrusion symptoms, level of exposure to prewar traumatic experiences, and strength of religiosity also provided predictive power of the model; determining the direction of PTG. Results indicate the importance of coping styles as-predictors of PTG. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in the contexts of religiosity, turning to religion as a coping mechanism, and active coping strategies in advancing our understanding of what PTG really entails. The reported rates pose concern and must be considered within the response of host countries' immigration policies.
The Role of Religious Orientations in Youth’s Posttraumatic Symptoms After Exposure to Terror
Journal of Religion and Health, 2011
This study examined the effect of religiosity on youth's posttraumatic symptoms resulting from exposure to terror. Participants consisted of 1,973 Israeli high school students. Objective and subjective exposure (fear) to terror were positively associated with posttraumatic symptoms. Intrinsic religiosity was negatively associated with posttraumatic symptoms and found to decrease the effects of objective exposure. Personal extrinsic orientation and social extrinsic orientation were positively associated with posttraumatic symptoms, having no mediating effect. Theoretical implications regarding religiosity as a coping mechanism in light of exposure to terror are discussed. Keywords Terror Á Adolescence Á Religion Á PTSD Traumatic events affect individuals in a variety of ways. While many are left with unanswered questions and a feeling of loneliness, some seek comfort in religion. This can be seen effectively in the aftermath of the terror attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Ninety percent of the adults interviewed in a nationally representative sample of Americans reported that they had turned to religion as a source of guidance (Schuster et al. 2001). It has been repeatedly reported that an increase in religiosity is highly common after exposure to terror and war (Khouzam 2000; Scholte et al. 2004; Tayloret al. 2002; Saab et al. 2003). Religion is often seen as a source of comfort and a method of explaining the unknown. It enables individuals to put their faith in something bigger and more powerful than themselves and to hold on to the belief that there is a reason for the traumatic event
The Professional Counselor, 2017
Refugees report several mental health challenges associated with pre-, peri-, and post-flight conditions. Some of these challenges include fear, anxiety, hypervigilance, hyperarousal, and nightmares-symptoms that could meet the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite these challenges, some refugees also report psychological growth with nomenclature like post-traumatic growth, resilience, and benefit-finding. This study examined the directional relationship among war-related events, optimism, PTSD, religious commitment, and growth. Prior studies in traumatized samples have demonstrated that PTSD and growth can occur concurrently, while optimism and religiousness may enhance growth. The hypotheses undergirding this study posited that participants in this non-Western population could demonstrate concurrent PTSD and growth, while those with higher levels of optimism and religiousness would exhibit increased levels of growth compared to those with lower levels. For a sample of 444 former refugees, hypotheses were theoretically modeled to identify whether the data fit the model. Inspection of fit indices provided support for the hypothesized model. Implications for professional counselors are included and recommendations for future research are provided.
MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL OF REFUGEE STUDIES, 2017
This study aimed at describing the general health situation among Assyrian-Syrian refugees (n = 171, 70.2% males, mean age 31.08) in Istanbul, during two separate time periods. Measures included The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), The Brief R-COPE, The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), The Primary Care Post Traumatic Disorder Scale (PC-PTSD), together with a number of additional health items. The results showed that among the 52.4% of those who were found to have experienced some kind of trauma, 23.4% met the criteria for PTSD. Ratings of one' s own physical health (p < .001), one' s own psychological health (p < .05), and PHQ were statistically significant with PTSD. Females rated their own physical health (p < .01) and own psychological health (p < .01) worse than men. A paired-samples t-Test showed a significant increase from Time 1 to Time 2 for Positive R-COPE (p < .08), a decrease for Negative R-COPE (p < .05), and an increase for the GSE (p < .05). A paired-samples t-Test showed a significant gender difference for the PHQ (p < .01) and GSE (p < .01). A mediation model, using a Sobel Test, showed that positive religious coping strategies reduced symptoms in male participants by improving their evaluations toward their own psychological well-being (p < .001).
The Role of Religious and Spiritual Factors in Coping with Psychosocial Problems in Refugee Adolescents, 2024
Adolescence is a challenging time when individuals experience rapid physical, emotional, and spiritual changes. This period may bring both opportunities and challenges. The situation may become more difficult when adolescents live in difficult circumstances, such as migration. Spending adolescence in refugee circumstances can lead to negative and traumatic situations for adolescents. The purpose of this study is to examine the psychosocial adjustment of refugee adolescents and to determine how they deal with trauma and negative experiences and how they cope with negative situations. This study aimed to understand the extent to which adolescent refugees who struggle with psychosocial problems resort to religious and spiritual methods and what coping styles they implement. Therefore, qualitative research was conducted through semistructured interviews with 50 adolescent refugees aged 11-19 years from different neighborhoods of Istanbul. To ensure the homogeneity of the study, attention was given to the age of the participants and to include both male and female participants. According to the results of the study, the most common psychosocial problems to which refugee adolescents are exposed are witnessing war, death, the loss of loved ones, and being forced to migrate. The participants had issues related to security, basic human needs, health, education, and housing. However, refugee adolescents were likely to use positive coping styles, including praying, reading the Qurʾān, gratitude, patience, and attributing good. The findings show that religious and spiritual factors are important for refugee adolescents’ attempts to cope with psychosocial problems. In addition, positive religious coping styles are significant for posttraumatic growth and development.
Premigration Persecution, Postmigration Stressors and Resources, and Postmigration Mental Health
Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 2011
Background: Competing theories exist regarding the importance of premigration trauma as compared with postmigration stressors and resources with respect to the risk to immigrant mental health. Objective: To examine how type of premigration trauma, postmigration stressors, and postmigration resources differentially predict posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) symptomatology in Arab immigrant women who have been exposed to premigration trauma. Design: Descriptive, using multinomial logistic regression to explain membership in one of four groups: (a) PTSD only ( n = 14), (b) MDD ( n = 162), (c) comorbid PTSD–MDD ( n = 148), and (d) subclinical symptoms ( n = 209). Results: Parameter estimates for postimmigration-related stressors (as measured by the Demands of Immigration [DI]) indicated that a unit increase in DI scores was associated with a nearly 16-fold increase in the likelihood of being in the comorbid relative to the subclinical group, and a n...
Traumatic life experiences and religiosity in eight countries
Scientific Data, 2020
We present two datasets from a project about the relationship between traumatic life experiences and religiosity. These include data from 1,754 individuals in the United States (n = 322), Brazil (n = 205), China (n = 202), India (n = 205), Indonesia (n = 205), Russia (n = 205), Thailand (n = 205), and Turkey (n = 205). Surveys were consistent across samples: they include measures of traumatic life experiences, negative affective traits, existential security, life satisfaction, death anxiety, and various religious beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. Psychometric evaluations of measures of supernatural belief and death anxiety were conducted.
Middle East Journal of Refugee Studies, 2017
This study aimed at describing the general health situation among Assyrian-Syrian refugees (n = 171, 70.2% males, mean age 31.08) in Istanbul, during two separate time periods. Measures included The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), The Brief R-COPE, The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), The Primary Care Post Traumatic Disorder Scale (PC-PTSD), together with a number of additional health items. The results showed that among the 52.4% of those who were found to have experienced some kind of trauma, 23.4% met the criteria for PTSD. Ratings of one' s own physical health (p < .001), one' s own psychological health (p < .05), and PHQ were statistically significant with PTSD. Females rated their own physical health (p < .01) and own psychological health (p < .01) worse than men. A paired-samples t-Test showed a significant increase from Time 1 to Time 2 for Positive R-COPE (p < .08), a decrease for Negative R-COPE (p < .05), and an increase for the GSE (p < .05). A paired-samples t-Test showed a significant gender difference for the PHQ (p < .01) and GSE (p < .01). A mediation model, using a Sobel Test, showed that positive religious coping strategies reduced symptoms in male participants by improving their evaluations toward their own psychological well-being (p < .001).