Understanding How Religiousness Shapes Perceptions of Compulsive Sexual Behavior.

In the present study, we test the model of moral incongruence by examining whether moral disapproval of pornography mediates the relationship between organizational religious activity and self-reported CSB and whether the frequency of viewing pornography moderates the relationship between moral disapproval and self-reported CSB in two samples: a general population sample and a sample of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Mormons"). Analyses revealed that, among both samples, frequency of pornography viewing moderated the indirect effect of organizational religious activity on perceived CSB via morally disapproving of pornography. Specifically, moral disapproval of pornography mediated the relationship between organizational religious activity and compulsive sexual behavior when participants viewed pornography approximately monthly or more (mean and +1 SD among the general population sample, +1 SD among the Latter-day Saint sample). Findings suggest that individuals who attend worship services more frequently are more likely to perceive their pornography viewing as compulsive at higher frequencies of usage - even when their frequency of pornography viewing is unlikely to be associated with actual functional impairment - and that this distress is better understood in relation to experiences of moral incongruence.

Children's moral evaluations of and behaviors toward people who are curious about religion and science.

Although children exhibit curiosity regarding science, questions remain regarding how children evaluate others' curiosity and whether evaluations differ across domains that prioritize faith (e.g., religion) versus those that value questioning (e.g., science). In Study 1 (n = 115 5- to 8-year-olds; 49% female; 66% White), children evaluated actors who were curious, ignorant and non-curious, or knowledgeable about religion or science; curiosity elicited relatively favorable moral evaluations (ds > .40). Study 2 (n = 62 7- to 8-year-olds; 48% female; 63% White) found that these evaluations generalized to behaviors, as children acted more pro-socially and less punitively toward curious, versus not curious, individuals ( η p 2 = .37). These findings (data collected 2020-2022) demonstrate children's positive moral evaluations of curiosity and contribute to debates regarding overlap between scientific and religious cognition.

The stability of life script and life story events of Nigerian young adults across religion and gender.

The cultural life scripts are shared semantic knowledge of the expected life course in a given culture characterised by a bump for positive events in the second and third life decades, but none for negative events [Berntsen, D., & Rubin, D. C. (2004). Cultural life scripts structure recall from autobiographical memory. Memory & Cognition, 32, 427-442. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03195836]. We investigated the stability of Nigerian young adults' life scripts and life stories across religion and gender. One-hundred-and-seventy-four participants completed the life script and life story tasks, and the revised religious orientation scale. We found that the life scripts and life stories consisted of mainly positive events with a reminiscence bump located in the 10s and 20s; however, we also found a small bump for negative events. There was a high mention rate of religion-specific events in both the life scripts and life stories of participants across religion and gender. The level of religiosity had effects on the importance ratings of the life scripts and life stories. In sum, despite minor variations, the life scripts and life stories were consistent across religion and gender.

National religiosity eases the psychological burden of poverty.

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) harms psychological well-being, an effect responsible for widespread human suffering. This effect has long been assumed to weaken as nations develop economically. Recent evidence, however, has contradicted this fundamental assumption, finding instead that the psychological burden of lower SES is even greater in developed nations than in developing ones. That evidence has elicited consternation because it suggests that economic development is no cure for the psychological burden of lower SES. So, why is that burden greatest in developed nations? Here, we test whether national religiosity can explain this puzzle. National religiosity is particularly low in developed nations. Consequently, developed nations lack religious norms that may ease the burden of lower SES. Drawing on three different data sets of 1,567,204, 1,493,207, and 274,393 people across 156, 85, and 92 nations, we show that low levels of national religiosity can account for the greater burden of lower SES in developed nations. This finding suggests that, as national religiosity continues to decline, lower SES will become increasingly harmful for well-being-a societal change that is socially consequential and demands political attention.

Religious coping and delinquent behaviors: Moderated mediation roles of religion affiliation and prosocial moral reasoning.

Religion has been shown to have a positive impact for developing adolescents; however, the processes underlying this relation are not well known. In his almighty prosocial theory, Anazonwu (Conceptualizing and testing almighty prosociality theory for a more peaceful world, SCOA Heritage Nigeria, 2017) proposed that the activation of learnt prosocial moral reasoning through religion enabled performance of prosocial peace behavior that will benefit society. Thus, religion coping enhances the development of prosocial reasoning which in turn propagate prosocial acts while reducing delinquent behaviors. Similarly, developmental system theory (Lerner, Developmental science, developmental systems, and contemporary theories of human development, John Wiley & Sons, 2006) assumed that in every individual three mechanisms: plasticity (potential to change), context (environment), and developmental regulation (learnable principles) interact to describe the direction of the transactions between individuals and their various embedded sociocultural context of development which will also determine other developmental outcomes. Based on these two theoretical assumptions, the present study examined whether prosocial moral reasoning (developmental regulation) was the mechanism in the negative correlation between religious coping (plasticity) and delinquent behaviors (outcome), and if religious affiliation(context) (Christianity and Islam) moderated these paths. We hypothesized that the link from prosocial moral reasoning to lower delinquent behaviors would be stronger for Muslim compared with Christian youth. These questions were tested among Nigerian adolescence, an important sample because of high interreligious and interethnic tension among youth in the country. 298 adolescents (Mean age = 15.03 years, SD = 1.76; male = 176, female = 122; 46.3% Muslim, 53.7% Christian) were sampled using questionnaires in senior secondary schools in Nigeria. Moderated mediation result shows that greater religious coping was linked with higher prosocial moral reasoning, which in turn predicted fewer delinquent behaviors. Religious coping interacted with religion affiliation to influence delinquent behavior; there was a stronger link between these two constructs for Muslim compared to Christian youth. Thus, interventions aiming to reduce youth delinquent behaviors should consider promoting prosocial moral reasoning, particularly among the various religions (i.e., Christian/Muslim) communities.

"God gives me hope!": Hospitalized children's perception of the influence of religion in coping with chronic illness.

PURPOSE: The mechanism of the impact of religion on health is still unclear, especially in children and adolescents with chronic illness who live in religious contexts. This study aimed to understand the influence of religion on coping with chronic diseases from the perspective of hospitalized children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer, type 1 diabetes mellitus and cystic fibrosis. DESIGN AND METHODS: Qualitative descriptive research used photo-elicitation interviews with 35 Brazilian children and adolescents with cancer, type 1 diabetes mellitus and cystic fibrosis, aged between 7 and 17 years old. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyze qualitative data. RESULTS: Participants were diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (14.3%), cancer (57.1%), and type 1 diabetes mellitus (28.6%) and 82.9% had a religious affiliation. Three themes were constructed: finding strength and support in the relationship with the divine, religion as an important source of meaning, and religious practice as a promoter of well-being. These themes demonstrate that children and adolescents themselves perceived their illness as a journey through which their faith grew. CONCLUSIONS: This research shows the influence of religion on the positive coping of chronic illness, being a source of strength and support from the relationship with the divine, as well as offering a source of meaning, purpose and well-being based on religious practices. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study supports clinical practice, based on the recognition of the patient as a religious and spiritualized person who has spiritual beliefs and needs that are capable of influencing treatment.

Negative religious coping versus spiritual struggles: Moderator or main effect?

OBJECTIVE: While previous research indicates that negative religious coping relates with distress, it is unclear if this represents generalized spiritual struggles or a specific vulnerability activated by negative events. Moreover, past research treats coping as a stable phenomenon, although it likely fluctuates. This research simultaneously tested both models longitudinally and examined the relationship between coping and distress. METHODS: The current study is a secondary analysis of longitudinal data collected online over 3 years from 397 participants. Life events, negative religious coping, and depressive symptoms were assessed on six occasions, and linear mixed-effect models were used to analyze data. RESULTS: Negative religious coping was largely stable with increases at times of stress. Participants with higher mean negative coping reported more depressive symptoms regardless of life circumstances (i.e., main effect), likely reflecting generalized spiritual struggles. In addition, those with higher mean coping or with particularly high levels at a given time reported even higher levels of symptoms when they experienced more negative life events (i.e., moderation effect). CONCLUSION: Results suggest that previous research merges two distinct phenomena-spiritual struggles and negative coping. This has important theoretical and research implications and suggests that integrating spirituality and religion into treatment can be warranted.

Religion and Suicide in Black Emerging Adults: Examining Pathways Through Hope and Meaning in Life.

While suicide persists as a leading cause of death for Black emerging adults in the U.S., few studies identify specific positive psychological mechanisms that can be leveraged to reduce future risk. The current study, therefore, explores whether religion is related to suicidal ideation via hope and meaning in life among a sample of n = 375 Black emerging adults ages 18-25-years-old (M = 20.79, SD = 2.22). Structural equation modeling techniques were used to measure direct and indirect associations. Primary results indicate that non-organizational religiosity (e.g., reading religious texts, listening to religious music, prayer) was positively associated with hope, presence of meaning in life, and search for meaning in life. Presence of meaning in life was the strongest contributor to decreased suicidal ideation. Further, non-organizational religiosity was indirectly associated with less suicidal ideation via hope and presence of meaning in life. Personal forms of religious involvement, and not service attendance, appear to be the most salient aspects of religion to consider when exploring pathways between religion and suicidality during this particular developmental stage.

Schizophrenia or Possession? A Rejoinder to Irmak.

In this rejoinder, I comment on Irmak's 2014 article titled "Schizophrenia or Possession?" published in the Journal of Religion and Health  (Irmak, 2014; JORH 53(3):773-777. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9673-y ). After providing a brief overview of the article and two commentaries on it, I examine the role that demonic possession may or may not play in the development and course of schizophrenia. While keeping an open mind to the possibility of evil influences on the course of illness in those with or without psychosis, I emphasize that schizophrenia is a neurobiological illness that requires compassionate care and expert psychobiological treatment.

The Development and Implementation of a Custom-Tailored Suicide Response Training for Muslim Communities.

Research indicates that the suicide attempt rate among American Muslims is at least twice the rate of the national US average and follows a different trend of suicide behavior compared to other groups. Religious leaders, such as Imams, are commonly sought out for support, but many lack training in mental health crisis management. The Stanford Muslim Mental Health and Islamic Psychology Lab created the Muslim Community Suicide Response Manual and its accompanying training modules to address this issue. This paper describes the creation, evolution, and future directions of the Suicide Response Training from an Islamic perspective to reduce suicide risk in Muslim communities.

Religious Coping and Mental Adjustment to Cancer Among Polish Adolescents.

Adults suffering from chronic illnesses are more likely to look to God for support (positive religious coping; PRC) than to fight against God (negative religious coping; NRC). What about when cancer occurs during adolescence-a period of questioning the worldview and values, and at the same time searching for the sacred? Our study aimed to establish the relationships between PRC, NRC, and mental adjustment to cancer among youth and determine support's role in these relationships. The study was conducted in Poland and included 88 adolescent cancer patients who completed the Brief RCOPE and the Mini-MAC. Additionally, general well-being and support were assessed. We found that PRC was positively related to constructive adjustment style (CAS), whereas NCR was related to destructive adjustment style (DAS). Adolescents with cancer were higher in PRC than in NRC and were higher in CAS than in DAS. In young women, CAS was higher than in men. Finally, at a level of received support rated as very high, PRC promoted fighting spirit and well-being.

Exploring Religion as a Path to Meaning: The Role of "Pastrotherapy" in Supporting Young People's Quest for a Good Life in Nigeria.

This paper examines suicide prevalence among Nigerian youth struggling to find meaning in life. Frustrated by unattainable ideals, they experience despair. The study explores religion's role in providing support for meaning-seeking individuals. Utilizing an explorative approach, the paper highlights how religion can play a role in offering solidarity, morality, and hope as vital resources for creating a meaningful life. It introduces "Pastrotherapy" as a pastoral care approach to addressing existential questions. Findings emphasize the importance of religious communities and leaders in promoting resilience and addressing underlying causes of despair. This study reveals how religious beliefs and practices support Nigerian youth facing existential challenges, shedding light on the intersection of religion, meaning-making, and mental health.

The Relationship Between Religious Attitude, Compassion and Spiritual Care in Nursing Students: The Case of Türkiye.

In the present descriptive study, we aimed to examine the relationship between the levels of religious attitude, compassion and spiritual care perception among nursing students. Data were obtained from 135 nursing students using the Socio-Demographic Diagnosis Form, the Ok-Religious Attitude Scale, the Compassion Scale, and the Spiritual Care-Giving Scale. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis H test, the Spearman correlation test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. A positive correlation was found between the scores of the Ok-religious attitude scale and cognition sub-dimension, emotion sub-dimension, behavior sub-dimension, god sub-dimension and compassion scale and spiritual care-giving scale scores. Furthermore, we observed that some socio-demographic, and nursing profession and spiritual care characteristics of the students affected their religious attitudes, compassion and spiritual care perception. The sub-dimension scores of compassion and awareness of sharing among female students and the mindfulness scores of students with nuclear families were high. Our data suggest that the course contents for spiritual care, which is an integral part of holistic nursing care, should be included in the nursing curriculum. Moreover, we recommend that efforts be made to maintain a high level of compassion while considering the socio-demographics of the students and their opinions on the nursing profession. Finally, the data presented here has the potential to serve as a valuable resource for the development of novel approaches to the provision of spiritual care within nursing education programs.

Association between Religiousness and Quality of Life among Patients in Brazil diagnosed with Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease.

The importance of religiousness in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) has been the subject of conflicting research. The impact of religiousness on quality of life and depressive symptoms has also been poorly studied in this population. This study investigated the correlation between religiousness and quality of life in patients with IPD. We evaluated 37 patients with IPD (according to the criteria of the Movement Disorders Society) who were from an outpatient clinic specializing in movement disorders in Brazil. We assessed the patients using the Duke University Religion Index and scales for motor impairment, cognition, quality of life, and depression. Spearman's test was used to check for possible correlations between the different dimensions of religiousness and the clinical variables analyzed. Patients with a worse quality of life and more depressive symptoms showed greater intrinsic religiousness.

Experiences of Awe and Gratitude and Related Triggers Among Religious Brothers and Sisters: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study in Germany.

A cross-sectional survey among religious brothers and sisters (n = 250) with their specific lifestyle and related spiritual practices stated moments of awe perceptions. They responded to both the Awe/Gratitude scale and to free text fields to substantiate their quantitative responses. Qualitative content analysis of their free text responses resulted in six main categories of awe triggers: (1) Nature, (2) Special Moments, (3) Transcendence Perceptions, (4) Religious practices, (5) Distinct People, and (6) Aesthetics, Art and Culture. Awe perceptions can be an immediate feeling and the outcome of a process of reflection in response to admiration, inspiration, and elevation. As these perceptions are related to psychological well-being and prosocial behaviors, their training can generate positive effects on quality of life.

Exploring Women's Religious Coping Strategies and Psychological Impact After the 2023 Earthquake in Syria.

This paper examined gender (N = 1406;77.7% women) patterns of religious coping and psychological impact following the devastating 2023 Syrian earthquakes. Measures in this nation-wide convenience sample study included positive religious coping (PRC) and negative religious coping (NRC) using the Brief Religious Coping Scale (RCOPE), and probable PTSD, depression, and anxiety, using the PCL-5, PHQ-9, and GAD-7, respectively. Women reported higher endorsement of PRC items while men higher endorsement of NRC items. Within the women only sample, lower education and lower income, education and younger age predicted PRC and NRC, respectively. NRC was strongly positively associated with PTSD, depression and anxiety; while, PRC was positively associated only with PTSD. These vulnerable women require targeted support to adopt more adaptive religious coping strategies.

Effects of religion on the course of suicidality among geriatric patients with mood disorders.

BACKGROUND: A growing volume of research suggests that religion protects against late-life suicide, but it remains unclear whether effects are relevant to clinical samples, which facets of religion are most relevant, and variations over the course of mood disorders (e.g. during periods of euthymia, depression, and/or heightened suicidality). METHOD: Eighty adults aged 55-85 years with mood disorders completed assessments of religion (affiliation, service attendance, importance of religion, belief and faith in God), depression, and suicidality over time (M = 7.31 measurements over M = 727 days). We computed metrics to identify mean and maximum levels of depression and suicidality, and the number of episodes of significant depression and suicidality experienced by each participant. RESULTS: Religious affiliation and importance of religion, but not service attendance, belief, or faith in God, were associated with lower mean and maximum depression. Conversely, all facets of religion predicted significantly lower mean and maximum levels of suicidality (rs ranging from -0.24 to -0.39), and substantially less likelihood of experiencing significant suicidality during the study (ORs ranging from 0.19 to 0.33). Service attendance, belief, and faith in God predicted less suicidality even among individuals who did not affiliate with a religious group. CONCLUSIONS: Religious factors, particularly faith in God, are associated with substantially less suicidality over time among older adults with mood disorders, irrespective of religious affiliation.

Daily discrimination, church support, personal mastery, and psychological distress in black people in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: This study used the stress process model to test the mediating effects of personal mastery and moderating effects of church-based social support on the relationship between daily discrimination and psychological distress across three age groups of African American and Afro-Caribbean adults. METHODS: Using a national sample of 5008 African Americans and Afro-Caribbean adults from the National Survey of American Life Study, this study employs structural equation modeling to investigate the relationships between daily discrimination, personal mastery, church-based social support, and psychological distress. RESULTS: Daily discrimination was an independent predictor of psychological distress across all groups. Group- and age-specific comparisons revealed significant differences in the experience of daily discrimination and psychological distress. Mastery was a partial mediator of the relationship between discrimination and psychological distress among Afro-Caribbeans while church support was a significant moderator only among the young and older African Americans. IMPLICATIONS: Together, our study findings provide useful first steps towards developing interventions to reduce the adverse psychological impacts of daily discrimination on African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. Intervention efforts such as individual psychotherapy aimed to improve Afro-Caribbean individuals' sense of mastery would be a partial solution to alleviating the adverse effects of discrimination on their psychological health.

Further Validation of the Religious Surrender and Attendance Scale-3 (RSAS-3).

Background: The Religious Surrender and Attendance Scale -3 (RSAS-3) is a very brief measure used to quantify religious commitment as a protective health factor.Methods: To provide evidence of criterion-related validity of the RSAS-3, 440 community members and undergraduate students completed a survey containing three religiosity measures: the RSAS-3, the Intrinsic/Extrinsic Orientation scale, and the Belief into Action scale (BIAC), and a measure of problematic substance use, Texas Christian University Drug Screen-5. It was hypothesized all religiosity measures would be positively interrelated, the measure of problematic use would be negatively related to all religiosity measures, and that the RSAS-3 would be strongly predictive of absence of problematic substance use. After data filtering and imputation, bivariate correlations were calculated to establish convergent validity.Results: All relationships were in the predicted directions. Specifically, BIAC had the strongest relationship with the RSAS-3, r (440) = .906, p < .001, followed by intrinsic religiosity, r (440) =.814, p < .001, and extrinsic religiosity, r (440) = .694, p < .001. The RSAS-3 was the strongest predictor of problematic use among the religiosity measures, r (440) = -0.230, p <.001. Criterion-related validity of the RSAS-3 was supported using logistic regression to explore intrinsic religiosity, extrinsic religiosity, BIAC, and RSAS-3 as predictors of the presence/absence of problematic substance use. The RSAS-3 was the only significant predictor (OR = .858 [95% CI .757 - .973], p = .017).Conclusion: All results provide further evidence for the validity of the RSAS-3 as a very brief measure of religious commitment useful in health settings.

Multiple Mental Health Literacies in a Traditional Temple Site in Kerala: The Intersection Between Beliefs, Spiritual and Healing Regimes.

The notion of 'mental health literacy' has been proposed as a way of improving mental health problem recognition, service utilisation and reducing stigma. Yet, the idea embodies a number of medical-model assumptions which are often at odds with diverse communities' spiritual traditions and local belief systems. Twenty participants were recruited to this study consisting of mental health service users (N = 7), family carers (N = 8) and community members (N = 5) in a temple town in Kerala, South India participated in semi-structured interviews exploring the variety of beliefs and practices relating to mental health. Our findings indicate that the issue may be better understood in terms of multiple mental health literacies which people deploy in different circumstances. Even those sceptical of traditional and spiritual approaches are knowledgeable about them, and the traditional practices themselves often involve detailed regimes of activities aimed at effecting an improvement in the person's mood or condition. Therefore, we argue it is appropriate to consider mental health literacy not as a unitary universal phenomenon but instead as a mosaic of different literacies which may be deployed in different settings and in line with different experiences and which may operate in synergy with each other to enable treatment but also facilitate a sense of meaning and purpose in life.