The development and diversity of religious cognition and behavior: Protocol for Wave 1 data collection with children and parents by the Developing Belief Network.

The Developing Belief Network is a consortium of researchers studying human development in diverse social-cultural settings, with a focus on the interplay between general cognitive development and culturally specific processes of socialization and cultural transmission in early and middle childhood. The current manuscript describes the study protocol for the network's first wave of data collection, which aims to explore the development and diversity of religious cognition and behavior. This work is guided by three key research questions: (1) How do children represent and reason about religious and supernatural agents? (2) How do children represent and reason about religion as an aspect of social identity? (3) How are religious and supernatural beliefs transmitted within and between generations? The protocol is designed to address these questions via a set of nine tasks for children between the ages of 4 and 10 years, a comprehensive survey completed by their parents/caregivers, and a task designed to elicit conversations between children and caregivers. This study is being conducted in 39 distinct cultural-religious groups (to date), spanning 17 countries and 13 languages. In this manuscript, we provide detailed descriptions of all elements of this study protocol, give a brief overview of the ways in which this protocol has been adapted for use in diverse religious communities, and present the final, English-language study materials for 6 of the 39 cultural-religious groups who are currently being recruited for this study: Protestant Americans, Catholic Americans, American members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans, and religiously unaffiliated Americans.

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.

Afectación de la espiritualidad en el proceso de recuperación de personas con diagnóstico dual / The effect of the spirituality in the recovery process of people with dual diagnosis

Objetivos: medir el impacto de la participación en actividades espirituales en el proceso de recuperación de patología dual. Métodos: estudio observacional descriptivo con metodología mixta realizado con una muestra de 20 usuarios hombre, tratados en régimen interno en la Comunidad Terapéutica (CT): Ayuda a la Recuperación de Politoxicómanos de Málaga (ARPOM), en Málaga, España. La espiritualidad se ha medido según el Cuestionario de Espiritualidad de Parsian y Dunning validado al español; y el proceso de recuperación, a través de grupo focal. Resultados: la puntuación media de la espiritualidad ha sido de 2,9 en un rango de 0-4, donde 4 se corresponde a “totalmente de acuerdo” en base a afirmaciones realizadas sobre la espiritualidad. Los grupos focales mostraron que los usuarios en su mayoría asocian la espiritualidad a la religión, y no a la ética y moral; y que su deseo en el proceso de recuperación es implementar la realización de actividades espirituales en su tratamiento. Conclusiones: la realización de actividades espirituales influencia positivamente el proceso de recuperación de los usuarios con patología dual.(AU)

Objective: To assess the influence of participation in spiritual activities on the recovery process of individuals with dual pathology. Methods: A descriptive observational study with a sample of 20 users treated internally in the Therapeutic Community: Ayuda a la Recuperación de Politoxicómanos de Málaga, in Málaga, Spain. Spirituality was assessed using the Parsian and Dunning Spirituality Questionnaire, which has been validated in Spanish, and the recovery process was examined through focus groups. Results: The mean spirituality score was 2.9 on a scale of 0-4, where 4 corresponds to "totally agree," based on statements about spirituality. The focus groups showed that users mostly associate spirituality with religion, not with ethics and morality, and that users in the recovery process desire to implement spiritual activities in their treatment. Conclusions: Performing spiritual activities positively impacts the recovery process of users with dual pathology.(AU)

Reincarnation Beliefs and Suicidality: Social, Individual and Theological Factors.

Among African tribes, Inuit, the Druze, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, a diversity of attitudes toward suicide exists. The meaning of suicide appears to be largely a reflection of the impact of the death on friends, family, and the broader community; the circumstances of the individual within their community; and the specific religious implications of suicide. The interpersonal impact is seen as consisting of the material impact of suicide; the spiritual and emotional burden endured by the community; and norms related to suicide. Individual factors include the degree of social integration; the social impact of suicide before death; and how the individual anticipates suicide affecting their afterlife. Taken together, the commonly repeated notion that reincarnation beliefs lend themselves to suicidal behavior finds little support, and instead it appears that social and pragmatic issues shape the meaning and interpretation of religious beliefs which in turn buffer or facilitate suicidal behavior.

Mental health at religious and non-religious universities: Examining the role of student religiousness and sexual/gender minority identity.

BACKGROUND: Religiousness is often related to positive mental health for university students. Yet this may not hold for sexual and gender minority (SGM) students at religious universities. Some studies find religiousness protective for SGM students, some find no relationship, and some find religiousness a risk. METHODS: Using the Healthy Minds data (n = 135,344) student mental health (suicide ideation and anxiety) was compared across religious universities (Catholic, evangelical, and "Other Christian") and nonreligious universities, examining moderation by student religiousness and SGM identity. RESULTS: Overall, there were no anxiety or ideation differences across religious and nonreligious universities except that students at "Other Christian" universities had slightly higher ideation than those at nonreligious universities. However, moderation analysis found SGMs at nonreligious universities at higher risk for anxiety compared to those at "Other Christian" universities. Student religious importance predicted lower ideation and anxiety across universities: though students for whom religion was unimportant were at greater risk for anxiety at nonreligious versus Catholic universities. Compared to SGMs at nonreligious universities, SGMs at evangelical universities who did not participate in extracurricular religious activities were at risk for ideation, but risk was low for SGMs who did participate. LIMITATIONS: Data were cross-sectional. Analyses were unable to control for whether students dropped out of a university. CONCLUSIONS: There were few overall differences between religious and nonreligious universities. Though moderation found attending a religious university either a protective or risk factor for some groups. The relations between being SGM and mental health should be considered concert with religiousness.

Religiosity and death anxiety among cancer patients: the mediating role of religious comfort and struggle.

OBJECTIVES: Religiosity may serve as a personal source of support when people face a life-threatening illness, but it can also elicit stress. The main aim of this study is to show how various religious dimensions interplay in predicting death anxiety in patients diagnosed as having cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical research, 141 Polish patients who were hospitalized due to cancer were selected using sequential convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Centrality of Religiosity Scale, Religious Comfort and Strain Scale, and the Death Anxiety and Dying Distress Scale. RESULTS: The authors' results show that the effect of the centrality of religiosity on death anxiety is non-linear. We can also confirm the mediating role of religious comfort and struggles in the relationship between the centrality of religiosity and death anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, religious struggles appear to weaken the effect of religion on death anxiety, whereas religious comfort (contrary to expectation) does not enhance it. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(4):450-64.

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.

Depression in healthcare workers: influence of Fear of Death, Spirituality, and Religion / Depresión en trabajadores de la salud: influencia del Miedo a la Muerte, la espiritualidad y la religiosidad

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased deaths worldwide, with Argentina registering an excess of mortality from all causes of 10.6%, which has generated a considerable workload in the health sector, with workers being the most affected. One of the major consequences to which they were exposed has been the development of symptoms of depression. To observe how the variables of Fear of death, Spirituality, and Religiosity influence the possibility of developing symptoms of depression in the population of health workers, a quantitative, cross-sectional, and regression approach was used in a population of 200 healthcareworkers, with Fear of death being the most relevant explanatory variable, followed by Religiosity and Spirituality respectively to understand the model AU

La pandemia de COVID-19 ha incrementado las muertes alrededor del mundo, siendo el caso de Argentina el cual registra un exceso de mortalidad por todas las causas del 10,6%, lo que ha generado una carga de trabajo considerable en el sector salud, siendo los trabajadores los más afectados. Una de las principales consecuencias a las que estuvieron expuestos ha sido el desarrollo de síntomas de depresión. Para observar cómo las variables Miedo a la muerte, Espiritualidad y Religiosidad influyen en la posibilidad de desarrollar síntomas de depresión en la población de trabajadores de la salud, se utilizó un enfoque cuantitativo, transversal y de regresión en una población de 200 trabajadores de la salud, siendo el Miedo a la muerte la variable explicativa más relevante, seguida de la Religiosidad y la Espiritualidad respectivamente para entender el modelo AU

On the Way to Adulthood: Factors Contributing to the Life Satisfaction of Young Israeli Modern Orthodox Women.

Drawing on ecological theory, the current study examined the associations of religious versus secular environments, relationship with the mother, and personal characteristics (religious coping strategies; self-mastery; sexual self-concept) with the life satisfaction of Israeli Young Modern Orthodox women and a comparison group of secular women. A sample of 362 women aged 18-29 completed quantitative questionnaires. High levels of sexual self-concept and self-mastery, positive religious coping strategies, and supportive relationship with the mother were associated with higher life satisfaction. Supportive relationships with mothers moderated the association between religious coping strategies and life satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

An Approach to Psychological Counseling from a Religious Worldview.

This article investigates counseling in a religious context while keeping human subjects' existential realities in mind. The methodology, which combines Theology and Psychology, aims to provide an alternative approach to religious counseling by overcoming religious counselors' tendency to limit human suffering to "spiritual symptoms" by utilizing religious cosmovisions structured in pre-established concepts and values. Furthermore, the approach focuses on the development of human subjects in terms of their quality of life through the spiritual and mental health pillars.

Person-Centered Mindfulness: A Culturally and Spiritually Sensitive Approach to Clinical Practice.

Mindfulness meditation is rapidly being integrated into many different forms of counseling and psychotherapy, and there is a growing evidence base for its effectiveness. It is important to understand the spiritual roots of mindfulness, and to apply it in a patient-centered manner, sensitive to the patient's own faith tradition rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, assuming that mindfulness-based practice is a purely secular approach. The philosophical underpinning of mindfulness lies squarely in the Buddhist faith tradition. Indeed, mindfulness is the 7th step on the Eightfold Path, which is the heart of Buddhist teachings. Many practitioners, however, may not realize that there are Western meditative techniques that are very similar to mindfulness and that have deep roots within Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faith traditions. Patient-centered mindfulness involves the use of mindfulness and other meditation methods that are based on the patient's own faith tradition, rather than applying Eastern forms of mindfulness claiming these are a secular approach appropriate for everyone regardless of religious beliefs, even if those beliefs are not consistent with the Buddhist religious or philosophical approach. In this article, I briefly examine the evidence for the clinical effectiveness of mindfulness meditation, and then go into greater depth on Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim forms of mindfulness or similar meditative practices, providing resources that will better equip clinicians and researchers to provide patient-centered culturally-sensitive care.

Correlações simbólicas entre o Bhagavad Gita e o processo de individuação / Symbolic Correlations between the Bhagavad Gita and the Individualization Process / Correlaciones Simbólicas entre el Bhagavad Gita y el Proceso de Individuación

O artigo propõe uma correlação simbólica entre o texto do Bhagavad Gita e o processo de individuação proposto por Jung. Interpreta a guerra entre os guenos dos Pândavas e dos Káuravas como um processo simbólico, em função do qual, Arjuna (personagem líder dos Pândavas) poderá incorporar, em sua psique, os conteúdos, simbolicamente representados e depositados no grupo dos Káuravas, sejam as características sombrias, defensivas, bem como as criativas ou iluminadas.

This paper proposes a symbolic correlation between the Bhagavad Gita text and the individuation process proposed by Jung. It interprets the war between the Pandavas' guenos and the Káuravas as a symbolic process, as a result of which Arjuna (leader of the Pândavas) will be able to embody, in his psyche, the contents, symbolically represented and deposited in the group of the Káuravas, whether the characters dark, defensive, as well as creative or light ones.

El artículo propone una correlación simbólica entre el texto del Bhagavad Gita y el proceso de individuación propuesto por Jung. Interpreta la guerra entre los guenos de los Pándavas y de los Káuravas como un proceso simbólico, en función del cual, Arjuna (personaje líder de los Pándavas) podrá incorporar en su psique los contenidos, simbólicamente representados y depositados en el grupo de los Káuravas, sean las características oscuras, defensivas, así como las creativas o iluminadas.

Jung na encruzilhada ou lendo Jung a partir de Exu / Jung at the crossroads or reading Jung from Exu / Jung en la encrucijada o lectura de Jung desde Exu

Este artigo propõe uma leitura de alguns aspectos da obra de Jung a partir do orixá Exu e da noção de encruzilhada, entendida como referencial epistemológico para uma ampliação da psicologia analítica. Ler Jung a partir de Exu é propor reflexões complexas e contemporâneas sobre a psicologia analítica, ampliando possibilidades terapêuticas e de análises sócio-históricas. Exu é um princípio descolonizador, que duvida de ortodoxias, enfrenta estagnações e desestabiliza visões de mundo eurocêntricas. Comunicação, movimento, dinamismo, criatividade e transformação são elementos comuns a Exu e à psicologia analítica. Inconsciente, sombra e função transcendente são alguns dos conceitos junguianos trabalhados em diálogo com o princípio Exu.

This paper proposes a reading of some aspects of Jung's work based on the orisha Exu and the notion of the crossroads, understood as an epistemological reference for an expansion of analytical psychology. Reading Jung through Exu means proposing complex and contemporary reflections on analytical psychology, expanding therapeutic possibilities and socio-historical analysis. Exu is a decolonizing principle that doubts orthodoxies, confronts stagnation and destabilizes Eurocentric worldviews. Communication, movement, dynamism, creativity and transformation are elements common to Exu and analytical psychology. Unconscious, shadow and transcendent function are some of the Jungian concepts worked on in dialogue with the Exu principle.

Este paper propone una lectura de algunos aspectos de la obra de Jung a partir del orisha Exu y de la noción de encrucijada, entendida como referencia epistemológica para una expansión de la psicología analítica. Leer a Jung a través de Exu significa proponer reflexiones complejas y contemporáneas sobre la psicología analítica, ampliando las posibilidades terapéuticas y los análisis socio-históricos. Exu es un principio descolonizador que pone en duda las ortodoxias, se enfrenta al estancamiento y desestabiliza las visiones eurocéntricas del mundo. Comunicación, movimiento, dinamismo, creatividad y transformación son elementos comunes a Exu y a la psicología analítica. Inconsciente, sombra y función trascendente son algunos de los conceptos junguianos trabajados en diálogo con el principio Exu.

The Role of School and Community Involvement in the Psychosocial Health Outcomes of Black and Latinx LGBTQ Youth.

PURPOSE: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified (LGBTQ) youth of color face poorer psychosocial health outcomes than their non-LGBTQ peers. Research suggests school-based and community activities promote psychosocial health for LGBTQ youth, but study samples are predominantly White. This study tested whether school enrollment and seven community activities were associated with LGBTQ community connectedness, happiness, and health among Black and Latinx LGBTQ youth. METHODS: This study used a subsample of Black and Latinx LGBTQ adolescents and young adults (N = 472) from the Social Justice Sexuality project. Mean differences in study variables were examined across intersectional racial/gender identity categories. Multiple regression analyses assessed the association of school enrollment and community activities with psychosocial health outcomes, accounting for covariates. RESULTS: Social activities for LGBTQ people (ß = 0.19) and LGBTQ people of color (POC; ß = 0.15) were associated with greater LGBTQ connectedness. While moderate religious services attendance (ß = -0.13) was associated with lower LGBTQ connectedness, high attendance was associated with greater happiness (ß = 0.13) and health (ß = 0.12). Social activities for LGBTQ-POC (ß = 0.13) were also associated with better health. School enrollment was not significantly associated with any outcomes and Latinx transgender and diverse youth had the lowest happiness and health. DISCUSSION: Social activities for LGBTQ people and LGBTQ-POC may play a role in the social connectedness and health of Black and Latinx LGBTQ youth, while frequent religious service attendance may support health and happiness. Schools and faith institutions should ensure their institutions are welcoming to LGBTQ youth. Public health workers might facilitate the involvement and inclusion of LGBTQ youth, while policy should support funding for community activities.