"God was with me": A qualitative study of Christian meaning-making among refugees.

In this consensual qualitative research study, we investigated the role of refugees' Christian faith in meaning-making coping. High percentages of religiosity in refugee populations support the need to understand the role of religion in their coping processes. Interviews with 20 Christian refugees from 10 African and Asian countries revealed that participants drew heavily from their faith resources to cope with their experiences. Specifically, refugees reported coping practices that included trust in God, prayer, intimacy with God, spiritual surrender, lament, worship, and social support. Although many participants described spiritual struggles, including doubting God, feeling distant from God, and questioning God, most found meaning amid refugee-related suffering and reported perspective shifts, a deepening of faith, seeing suffering as part of God's plan, experiencing a deepened sense of purpose, and growing in the likeness of Christ. Refugees also reported growth through suffering in the form of gratitude, altruism, testimony, and humility. Clinical implications include encouraging the use of religious resources for meaning-making and supporting the resolution of spiritual struggles.

'We all have a stake in this': a phenomenological inquiry into integrating suicide intervention in home-delivered meal service contexts.

OBJECTIVES: Late-life suicide is a public health concern, yet many older adults do not have access to traditional mental health services. The present study sought to explore how suicide intervention is integrated into home-delivered meal (HDM) contexts following volunteer training in an evidence-based suicide first responder program. METHODS: Using phenomenological inquiry, we examined the experiences of 20 HDM volunteers trained in ASIST. RESULTS: Three primary themes emerged: (a) Logistics influencing integration of Suicide Intervention into HDM Systems, describing HDM program logistics; (b) Intrapersonal Context, describing HDM volunteer characteristics influencing intervention utilization and HDM client concerns; and (c) Interpersonal Context, describing HDM relationship characteristics that influenced intervention utilization. CONCLUSION: HDM and other nutrition services have potential for addressing late life suicide, particularly when volunteers best equipped to address risk receive training and HDM policies reflect the needs of their clients. Implications for HDM services, as well as the Aging Services Network, are discussed.

When suffering contradicts belief: measuring theodical struggling.

Global meaning systems help people make sense of their experiences, but suffering can violate global meaning and create distress. One type of potential violation is conflict between one's experience of suffering and one's deeply-held beliefs about God as loving, powerful, and just. The problem of theodicy-why an all-powerful and all-loving God would allow suffering-has long been an important theological and philosophical concern, but little is known about how theodicy plays out psychologically for religious individuals facing serious life difficulties. To address this issue within a specific religious tradition, Christianity, we drew upon philosophy, Christian theology, and psychology to develop the construct of theodical struggling. Through theological and philosophical input, we generated a 28-item pool and conducted 10 cognitive interviews with a diverse sample of Christian adults. In three consecutive online studies of Christian adult samples, we reduced the scale to 11 items through PCA, found a strong one-factor solution using EFA, and found support for the one-factor solution along with preliminary reliability and validity. This newly-developed Theodical Struggling Scale represents an important advance in understanding individuals' experiences of ruptures in their beliefs regarding God's goodness and paves the way for future research on this topic. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-023-04642-w.

Resource loss and mental health during COVID-19: Psychosocial protective factors among U.S. older adults and those with chronic disease.

Across the globe, COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the physical and mental health of several vulnerable groups. In a series of two cross-sectional studies conducted April to July 2020, we examined its acute mental health effects on two vulnerable U.S. community samples-home-bound older adults who were at or below the poverty line (Study 1, N = 293, Mage  = 76.94, SD = 8.64; 75.1% female, 67.9% Black) and adults with chronic disease (Study 2, N = 322, Mage  = 62.20, SD = 12.22; 46.3% female, 28.3% racial/ethnic minorities). Based on the conservation of resources theory, we hypothesised that pandemic-related resource loss would be associated with greater mental distress, but perceived social support and positive psychological characteristics (trait resilience and optimism) would buffer against this adverse effect. Across both samples of vulnerable adults, pandemic-related resource loss was related to mental distress. Perceived social support was related to lower mental distress but did not consistently buffer the effect of resource loss on mental health. However, in Study 2, both trait resilience and optimism buffered this relationship. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the conservation of resources theory.

Perceived and actual posttraumatic growth in religiousness and spirituality following disasters.

OBJECTIVE: Religious/spiritual (R/S) growth is a core domain of posttraumatic growth (PTG). However, research on R/S growth following disasters has over-relied on retrospective self-reports of growth. We therefore examined longitudinal change in religiousness/spirituality following two disasters. METHOD: Religious survivors of Hurricanes Harvey (Study 1) and Irma (Study 2) completed measures of perceived R/S PTG, general religiousness/spirituality ("current standing"-R/S PTG), and subfacets of religiousness/spirituality (spiritual fortitude, religious motivations, and benevolent theodicies). In Study 1, 451 participants responded at 1-month and 2-month postdisaster. In Study 2, participants responded within 5-days predisaster and at 1-month (N = 1,144) and 6-months postdisaster (N = 684). RESULTS: In both studies, perceived R/S PTG was weakly related to longitudinal increases in general religiousness/spirituality and in most of its subfacets, but reliable growth in any R/S outcome was rare. Additionally, Study 2 revealed evidence that actual change in psychological well-being is associated with actual (but not perceived) R/S PTG, but disaster survivors tend to exhibit declines in their religiousness/spirituality, spiritual fortitude, and religious motivations. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest disaster survivors are only modestly accurate in perceiving how much positive R/S change they experience following a disaster. We discuss implications for clinical practice, scientific research, and empirical and conceptual work on PTG more broadly.

Mental health distress in homebound older adults: Importance of the aging network.

Homebound older adults may be at risk of suicide due to elevated loneliness, social isolation, and depression. The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide posits that thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and reduced fear of death are key components of suicide risk. To better understand suicide risk among culturally diverse, homebound older adults, we collected baseline data on the prevalence of psychological distress, thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and past/present suicidality. Standardized measures were completed by 493 adults (ages 60-103) during in-home interviews, and results were compared to existing cutoffs to assess current risk. In total, 15.62% scored above the suicide risk cutoff, 23.73% of homebound older adults reported a history of suicidal ideation or behavior, 65 adults in this sample (13.18%) indicated the possibility of attempting suicide in the future, and 2.43% described a future attempt as "likely" or "very likely." There were no differences in suicide risk, thwarted belongingness, or perceived burdensomeness based on sex and race. However, there was a significant difference in psychological distress (F(3,428) = 2.624, p = .05), with White females (M = 7.90, SD = 5.63; N = 78) scoring higher than Black males (M = 5.43, SD = 5.04; N = 81). Using Aging Network services such as nutrition services (e.g.home-delivered meal programs) to intervene with at-risk older adults represents a strategy to prevent suicide. Implications for suicide intervention, including the potential to deliver services by linking them to nutrition services programs, are discussed.

Why humility is vital to effective humanitarian aid leadership: a review of the literature.

Organisational scientists are paying increasing attention to humility, following a larger trend in scholarship highlighting the relational and interdependent nature of leadership and business. A growing body of evidence identifies humility as vital to effective organisational leadership, facilitating positive organisational outcomes, such as lower voluntary turnover and greater follower job satisfaction. To date, research on the subject has focused on certain specific organisational contexts, including businesses, hospitals, and schools. This paper reviews the existing literature and explores why humility may be an especially important leader trait in international humanitarian aid organisations and relief work-a context that is not only uniquely challenging, but also one that would seemingly stand to benefit keenly from the quality. It argues that humility is essential for effective leadership because it is normative of good character, it is predictive of positive outcomes, and it corresponds to a genuine representation of the nature of humanitarian aid.

Testimony and meaning: A qualitative study of Black women with cancer diagnoses.

OBJECTIVE: Research has established religion and spirituality as important resources for Black people in the U.S. coping with adversity. Most research has been from an etic perspective, examining religious variables that are valid across multiple religions. In the present study, we asked what emic aspects of the Black church's practices and theological emphases women with cancer drew on in constructing meaning-making narratives from their cancer experience. METHOD: In this consensual qualitative research study, we interviewed 30 Black women with cancer histories with an average age of 64.5. RESULTS: The religious practice of testimony emerged as the predominant theme. Testimony (a) provided a meaningful purpose to the cancer experience; (b) had a specific content of describing what God had done in their lives as well as some common theological emphases; (c) had dual desired outcomes of helping others and bringing glory to God; and (d) had an associated practice of giving testimony. CONCLUSION: We discuss testimony as a narrative structure and highlight its importance in informing culturally sensitive interventions aimed at supporting Black women with cancer. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

"God wastes nothing": A consensual qualitative study of coping among Catholic individuals with cancer diagnoses.

While religious meaning-making has been extensively studied, emic religious coping remains largely unexplored. This consensual qualitative research study explored Catholic cancer survivors' (N = 22) descriptions of drawing on their religious framework throughout their cancer journeys. Findings revealed distinctive Catholic resources such as the power of blessings, drawing comfort from the saints and sacraments, and "offering up" suffering as a form of spiritual surrender, suggesting the existence of underlying theodicies of divine purpose as well as potential clinical resources. While many participants described spiritual struggles and questions, most found meaning through deepening their faith, helping others, and re-examining their priorities. Exploratory mixed-method analyses suggest that questioning God may promote turning toward faith, while being angry at God is associated with difficulty in doing so. The findings have implications for research, pointing to emic practices that merit further study.

Racial Differences in the Relationship Between Pain and Suicide Desire in Older Adults.

Older adults are reported to die by suicide at higher rates than the general population. Suicide desire among older adults is associated with pain, and pain experiences have been found to differ based on race. To investigate the relationship between pain and suicidal desire, 437 racially diverse older adults who receive home-based services (home-delivered meals) in the Southeastern region of the United States completed standardized measures of psychological pain, chronic physical pain, and suicidal desire. Results identified race moderated the relationship between pain and suicidal desire, indicating a stronger relationship between pain and suicidal desire among Black older adults than White older adults. Chronic physical pain (i.e., emotional burden) interacted with race to predict Perceived Burdensomeness (p = .011) and Thwarted Belongingness (p = .032). Greater attention to pain experiences among Black older adults is warranted, considering the impact of COVID-19 on racial/ethnic minorities' mental health.

The multilevel correlates, contributions, and consequences of leader humility in humanitarian aid work.

Objective: Leader humility has been linked to many positive outcomes but not examined in humanitarian aid work. Three studies examined the multilevel correlates, contributions, and consequences of leader humility in Medair-a large, multinational, faith-based aid organization. Study 1 examined correlates of leader humility in a sample of 308 workers and 167 leaders. Study 2 explored multilevel contributions of leader humility in 96 teams comprised of 189 workers. Study 3 utilized a subsample (50 workers, 34 leaders) to explore consequences of Time 1 leader and team humility on outcomes 6 months later. Method: Participants completed measures of humility (general, relational, team), leader and team attributions (e.g., effectiveness, cohesion, and growth-mindedness), organizational outcomes (e.g., job engagement and satisfaction; worker and team performance), and psychological outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety, compassion satisfaction, and flourishing). Results: Leader and team humility contributed to multilevel positive attributions about leaders (as effective and impactful), teams (as cohesive, psychologically safe, and growth-minded), and oneself (as humble), and those attributions contributed to organizational and psychological outcomes. Teams' shared attributions of their leader's humility contributed to higher worker job satisfaction and team performance. Longitudinally, for workers and leaders, leader and team humility were associated with some positive organizational and psychological outcomes over time. Conclusion: In humanitarian organizations, leader humility seems to act as an attributional and motivational social contagion that affects aid personnel's positive attributions about their leaders, teams, and themselves. In turn, these multilevel positive attributions contribute to several positive team, organizational, and psychological outcomes among workers and leaders.

Trauma exposure, suicidality, and reporting in college students.

OBJECTIVE: Researchers explored the link between individual trauma history, lifetime suicide risk, and reporting of suicidal ideation in undergraduate students. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 372 undergraduate students (130 males and 242 females) at two institutions completed measures of their personal trauma histories and suicidality in the Fall of 2017. METHODS: Categories of suicidality from the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire were reported, along with odds ratios from multivariate associations of traumatic events with lifetime suicidality. RESULTS: Suicidality is prevalent in college students. Traumas, such as rape, which are endemic to the college experience are significant risk factors for suicidality. Students reported reaching out for help when suicidal. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of trauma history will give a more comprehensive understanding of suicide risk among college students. Additionally, suicide safety programs may consider a broad scope for campus preparedness in order to support the large number of students with suicidal ideation that seek help.

Psychological and spiritual outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic: A prospective longitudinal study of adults with chronic disease.

OBJECTIVE: This prospective longitudinal study examined whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to changes in psychological and spiritual outcomes among adults with chronic disease. METHOD: Participants (N = 302) were a stratified, nonrandom sample of adults (Mage = 64.46, SD = 10.86, 45.7% female). The sample was representative of the chronically ill, U.S. adult population in gender, race/ethnicity, region, and religious affiliation but older in age and higher in socioeconomic status. Participants completed online-administered measures 1 month before the March 11 pandemic declaration (T1) and then 1 and 3 months after it (T2 and T3). At T1 through T3, they completed measures of depression, anxiety, personal suffering, psychological well-being, trait resilience, optimism, hope, grit, spiritual struggles, spiritual fortitude, and positive religious coping. At T2 and T3, they also completed measures of social support, physical health, resource loss, perceived stress, and COVID-19 fears and exposure. RESULTS: Overall, people did not change substantially in psychological or spiritual outcomes over time. However, trait resilience increased and personal suffering declined. People highest in prepandemic suffering increased in spiritual fortitude. Racial/ethnic minorities increased in religious importance. Roughly half (48.9%) of participants exhibited psychological resilience (no/minimal depression or anxiety symptoms) at both T2 and T3. Perceived stress and psychological resource loss were associated with adverse mental health outcomes, but social support and physical health were not. COVID-19 fears contributed more to mental health than COVID-19 exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Even among vulnerable populations such as adults with chronic disease, during pandemic conditions like COVID-19, many people may exhibit-or even increase slightly in-psychological and spiritual resilience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Development and validation of a measure of spiritual fortitude.

OBJECTIVE: In this article, we develop and validate a measure of spiritual fortitude (SF). SF is defined as a character trait enabling people to endure and make redemptive meaning from adversity through their sacred connections with God, others, and themselves. METHOD: First, we summarize its conceptual distinctions from related constructs such as grit, hardiness, and resilience. Then, in three independent studies (N = 1,104), we provide evidence for a three-factor SF Scale (SFS-9), consisting of subscales labeled Spiritual Endurance, Spiritual Enterprise, and Redemptive Purpose. RESULTS: In Study 1 (N = 410), an exploratory factor analysis revealed three SFS-9 subscales, each of which demonstrated evidence of internal consistency. Study 2 (N = 393) confirmed this factor structure on a separate sample and provided additional evidence for internal consistency. In Study 3 (N = 301), we present evidence of its discriminant, convergent, and incremental validity. SFS-9 scores predicted variance in meaning in life, spiritual well-being, religious coping, and adversity-related anxiety, above and beyond the contribution of grit and resilience. CONCLUSIONS: Spiritual fortitude appears to be a useful construct in understanding the process of adjusting to, and thriving, in the midst of adversity, suffering, and trauma. Future hypotheses and research directions are provided to catalyze work in this new area of inquiry. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The psychological study of religion and spirituality in a disaster context: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize the existing empirical psychology of religion/spirituality (R/S) and disaster research and offer a prospectus for future research. METHOD: Searches were conducted in PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Medline databases, and through personal communication with study authors covering a period from 1975 (from the earliest identified study meeting our criteria) to 2015. Studies that took an empirical approach to studying the impact of disasters on R/S phenomena, as well as the relationship between R/S phenomena, cognition, behavior, and well-being in disaster contexts were included. RESULTS: A total of 51 articles met the inclusion criteria. We organized the empirical findings under five main categories, which emerged from sorting studies by their primary R/S focus: (a) general religiousness, (b) God representations, (c) religious appraisals, (d) R/S meaning making, and (e) religious coping. On the whole, R/S appears to generally lead to positive outcomes among disaster survivors. Results suggest positive benefits of R/S comes more from how one engages faith and access to resources via R/S communities. CONCLUSIONS: This review revealed several emerging patterns regarding what is known as well as existing gaps in the literature, including the need for more rigorous methodological designs and ongoing systematic programs of study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Conserving resources during chronic disaster: Impacts of religious and meaning-focused coping on Botswana drought survivors.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the trauma symptoms of those who have endured a multiyear drought in Botswana, an arid, pastoral, and primarily Christian Southern African nation. Particularly, this study used conservation of resources theory to consider the effects of disaster-related resource loss (DRL) and the psychology of religion literature to investigate the roles of religious or spiritual (R/S) and meaning-focused coping. METHOD: Three hundred undergraduates in Botswana completed culturally adapted measures of their DRL, positive and negative R/S coping, search for meaning in life (meaning-focused coping), lifetime trauma exposure, and current trauma symptoms. Data were collected in the 4th year of the record-setting drought. RESULTS: Hierarchical regression analysis was used to add predictors sequentially and demonstrated that both DRL of energies (e.g., time, money) and coping behaviors (both negative R/S and meaning-focused) positively predicted current trauma symptoms beyond one's personal trauma exposure. Further, positive R/S coping was observed to moderate (buffer) the influence of DRL on trauma symptoms, whereas negative R/S and meaning-focused coping appeared to partially mediate the influence of DRL. CONCLUSION: This study extends research on DRL and coping to the context of chronic disasters. A nuanced treatment of resource loss (accounting for specific item wordings) suggests that although DRL in general may influence negative R/S coping, only some types of resource loss (energetic) from an ongoing-chronic disaster affect both one's current meaning-focused coping and trauma symptoms. In contrast to negative R/S coping behaviors (e.g., doubt), positive ones (e.g., seeking divine connection) were shown to mitigate those effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Suicide intervention training for college staff: Program evaluation and intervention skill measurement.

OBJECTIVE: Suicide remains a pressing issue for college communities. Consequently, gatekeeper trainings are often provided for staff. This study examines the effect of one such program, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). PARTICIPANTS: 51 college employees received ASIST in August of 2014 and were compared to 30 wait-list control participants. METHODS: Repeated Measures ANOVA were used to analyze pre- and post-training: (a) skills at responding to students-at-risk; (b) attitudes toward suicide; (c) knowledge about suicide; and (d) comfort/competence/confidence at helping a student-at-risk. RESULTS: Significant positive training effects were observed for ASIST on self-report measures and also for objectively assessed skill at responding, after adjusting for a potential scoring limitation of the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory, Revised (SIRI-2). CONCLUSIONS: ASIST improved the self-perception of college staff at working with students-at-risk of suicide and also their skills at performing an intervention. Further, analysis of SIRI-2 data provides support for a potential instrument revision.