The present study examined the role of religious coping efforts of children and adolescents, ages 8 to 18, following residential fire. Two types of children's religious coping, spiritually based coping and religious discontent, were examined in response to loss of resources in residential fires. The study further examined the influence and potential moderating effects of internal resources including global self-worth, as well as external resources including social support received from parents, teachers, and friends, and the family religious environment. Consistent with the general coping literature, these resources were expected to beneficially influence and predict spiritually based coping. Contrarily, the lack of these resources was expected to predict religious discontent. Children and adolescents' post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were also assessed and compared to their coping responses. Religious discontent was found to be positively associated with greater levels of loss, PTSD symptoms and negatively associated with global self-worth and low socio-economic status. It was also significantly predicted by loss and an interaction between loss and social support, where higher social support predicted lower levels of religious discontent under high levels of loss. Post hoc analyses revealed peer social support to interact significantly with loss to buffer religious discontent. Spiritually based coping was found to be significantly predicted by loss, race, age, and family religious environment, where African Americans, and children reported greater spiritually based coping than European Americans, and adolescents. Lastly, loss was significantly and negatively associated with global self-worth and positively associated with PTSD symptoms. / Master of Science

Câncer de mama e ginecológico tem alta incidência entre as mulheres brasileiras e seu diagnóstico produz diversas reações emocionais, como ansiedade, depressão e redução da qualidade de vida. Coping é definido como o conjunto de estratégias, cognitivas e comportamentais, utilizadas para lidar com situações estressoras. Quando são utilizadas estratégias relacionadas à religião para lidar com o estresse, ocorre o chamado coping religioso-espiritual. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o coping religioso-espiritual de mulheres com câncer e verificar a relação deste fator com a presença de sintomas psicológicos, com a percepção de suporte social e com a qualidade de vida. Após a aprovação pelo comitê de ética, 120 mulheres diagnosticadas com câncer de mama ou ginecológico, em atendimento em um hospital universitário, foram avaliadas quanto ao uso do coping religioso-espiritual (Escala CRE), à percepção de suporte social (Escala de Suporte Social - MOS), à presença de sintomas de ansiedade e depressão (HAD) e à qualidade de vida (WHOQol-Bref). Uma entrevista semi-estruturada foi aplicada para levantar informações sociodemográficas, aspectos clínicos e prática religiosa. Os resultados foram submetidos a testes estatísticos para verificar a existência de relações entre as variáveis. A média de idade da amostra foi de 52,1 anos; a maioria possuía companheiro, tinha menos de oito anos de estudo e renda per capita menor que um salário mínimo; 63% referiram história familiar de câncer e 55,8% estavam em tratamento para câncer em estádio III e IV; 90% declararam ter uma religião definida e destes 78% eram praticantes. Foram identificados sintomas depressivos e de ansiedade em 30% da amostra. Quanto ao coping religiosoespiritual, 81% utilizavam CRE total em frequência alta e há uma proporção maior de participantes que faziam uso do coping positivo em comparação ao uso do enfrentamento negativo. A amostra obteve índices elevados em todas as dimensões de suporte social e a qualidade de vida mostrou-se mais baixa que em outras populações. A análise comparativa entre as variáveis permitiu identificar que o uso de estratégias positivas de coping religiosoespiritual estava significativamente relacionado à ausência de sintomas ansiosos e depressivos, a maior percepção de suporte social e a melhor qualidade de vida, enquanto que o uso de estratégias negativas de coping está relacionado à piores índices em todos os instrumentos (p<0,05). O coping religioso-espiritual foi uma estratégia de enfrentamento bastante utilizada por esta amostra mulheres com câncer. Este resultado indica a importância das variáveis religiosidade e espiritualidade no processo de resiliência e de proteção à saúde. / Breast and gynecologic cancer has a high incidence among Brazilian women and their diagnosis produces emotional reactions such as anxiety, depression and reduced quality of life. Coping is defined as the behavioural and cognitive strategies used to face stressful situations. Strategies linked to religion, named religious/spiritual coping. This study aimed to evaluate religious coping in women with cancer and the relationship with the psychological symptoms, social support and quality of life. After approval of the Institutional Ethics Committee, 120 women diagnosed with breast or gynecologic cancer, attending in a university hospital were evaluated for the use of religious coping (RCOPE), social support (Social Support Scale - MOS), anxiety and depression (HAD) and quality of life (WHOQOLBREF). A semi structured interview collected data on socio demographic characteristics, clinical, and religious practice. The results were subjected to statistical tests to check for relationships between variables. The mean age of the sample was 52.1 years, the majority had a partner, had less than eight years of schooling and income lower than the minimum wage, 63% reported family history of cancer and 55.8% were under treatment cancer stage III and IV, 90% had a specific religion and 78% of these were practitioners. We identified depressive symptoms and anxiety in 30% of the sample. As for the religious coping, 81% used CRE total high frequency and there is a greater proportion of participants who made use of positive coping in comparison to the use of negative coping. The sample obtained high ratings in all dimensions of social support and quality of life proved to be lower than in other populations. The comparative analysis between the variables identified that the use of positive religious coping was significantly related to the absence of anxious and depressive symptoms, the greater social support and better quality of life, while the use of negative religious coping is related to worst rates on all instruments (p <0.05). Religious coping proved to be a strategy frequently used by patients with a breast or gynaecological cancer. It also seems to be a protection factor to the psychological stress caused by diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

O presente estudo tem por objetivo investigar as modalidades de enfrentamento religioso em homens portadores de HIV/AIDS pertencentes às religiões católica e evangélica pentecostal/neopentecostal. Após seleção de 50 católicos e 30 evangélicos, usuários de um serviço de atendimento a pacientes soropositivos em São Paulo, aplicou-se uma escala de coping religioso/espiritual e um formulário sobre religiosidade e história clínica da doença. As principais estratégias de coping apresentadas pelos sujeitos foram analisadas e comparadas entre os grupos católico e evangélico, através de mensuração estatística e da literatura sobre coping religioso. Estudos sobre as características psicossociais da população católica e evangélica no Brasil também foram utilizadas nas discussões sobre estilos preponderantes de coping em cada grupo. Tanto entre católicos quanto evangélicos houve maior uso de estratégias de enfrentamento que envolviam posicionamento positivo frente a Deus e menor uso de estratégias de reavaliação negativa de Deus. Os resultados mostraram uso maior por parte dos evangélicos de estilos que envolvem fatores positivos de transformação de si, ações em busca do outro institucional, busca pessoal de conhecimento espiritual, além de fatores negativos tais como posicionamento negativo frente a Deus e reavaliação negativa do significado. As considerações finais levantam tópicos sobre enfrentamento religioso na realidade brasileira e sua importância enquanto recurso multidimensional na vida do portador de HIV. / The present study has the purpose to investigate the ways of religious coping among HIV/AIDS male patients affiliated to Catholic and Pentecostal/Neo-Pentecostal religion. After a selection of 50 Catholics and 30 Protestants Pentecostals, users from a HIV+ health service in São Paulo, Brazil, a religious/spiritual coping scale was applied and other data about religiosity and diseases clinical history were collected. The main coping strategies revealed by the subjects was analyzed and compared between the Catholic and Pentecostal groups through statistical measures and the religious coping literature reviewed. Studies on the psychosocial aspects of the Catholic and Pentecostal population in Brazil also were used in the discussions about the main coping styles in each group. Catholics and Pentecostals employed more strategies involved in a positive posture toward God and less use of negative reappraisal of God strategies. The Pentecostals employed more positive styles related to achievement of life transformation, search for religious institutions, search for spiritual knowledge, moreover negative factors such as negative posture toward God and negative reappraisal of meaning. The final conclusions raise issues about religious coping in the Brazilian culture and its importance whilst multidimensional resource in the HIV patients life.

O presente estudo tem por objetivo investigar as modalidades de enfrentamento religioso em homens portadores de HIV/AIDS pertencentes às religiões católica e evangélica pentecostal/neopentecostal. Após seleção de 50 católicos e 30 evangélicos, usuários de um serviço de atendimento a pacientes soropositivos em São Paulo, aplicou-se uma escala de coping religioso/espiritual e um formulário sobre religiosidade e história clínica da doença. As principais estratégias de coping apresentadas pelos sujeitos foram analisadas e comparadas entre os grupos católico e evangélico, através de mensuração estatística e da literatura sobre coping religioso. Estudos sobre as características psicossociais da população católica e evangélica no Brasil também foram utilizadas nas discussões sobre estilos preponderantes de coping em cada grupo. Tanto entre católicos quanto evangélicos houve maior uso de estratégias de enfrentamento que envolviam posicionamento positivo frente a Deus e menor uso de estratégias de reavaliação negativa de Deus. Os resultados mostraram uso maior por parte dos evangélicos de estilos que envolvem fatores positivos de transformação de si, ações em busca do outro institucional, busca pessoal de conhecimento espiritual, além de fatores negativos tais como posicionamento negativo frente a Deus e reavaliação negativa do significado. As considerações finais levantam tópicos sobre enfrentamento religioso na realidade brasileira e sua importância enquanto recurso multidimensional na vida do portador de HIV. / The present study has the purpose to investigate the ways of religious coping among HIV/AIDS male patients affiliated to Catholic and Pentecostal/Neo-Pentecostal religion. After a selection of 50 Catholics and 30 Protestants Pentecostals, users from a HIV+ health service in São Paulo, Brazil, a religious/spiritual coping scale was applied and other data about religiosity and diseases clinical history were collected. The main coping strategies revealed by the subjects was analyzed and compared between the Catholic and Pentecostal groups through statistical measures and the religious coping literature reviewed. Studies on the psychosocial aspects of the Catholic and Pentecostal population in Brazil also were used in the discussions about the main coping styles in each group. Catholics and Pentecostals employed more strategies involved in a positive posture toward God and less use of negative reappraisal of God strategies. The Pentecostals employed more positive styles related to achievement of life transformation, search for religious institutions, search for spiritual knowledge, moreover negative factors such as negative posture toward God and negative reappraisal of meaning. The final conclusions raise issues about religious coping in the Brazilian culture and its importance whilst multidimensional resource in the HIV patients life.

Research suggests that depressive symptoms and financial stress are both associated with increased levels of cigarette smoking, yet not every individual who experiences depressive symptoms or financial stress smokes. The primary purpose of this study was to examine whether positive and negative religious coping moderated the influence of depressive symptoms and financial stress on current (past 30-day) cigarette smoking over and above the contributions of demographic covariates and nonreligious problem- and emotion-focused coping. Participants were drawn from a larger study comprised of a convenience sample of 1,120 post-secondary vocational/technical school students enrolled in programs such as welding, air-conditioning, and vocational nursing at two different two-year public colleges in Texas. These students are training to work in blue-collar occupations, which have higher smoking rates compared to white-collar occupations. Negative binomial regression analysis was used to test the study hypotheses. Depressive symptoms and financial stress increased the likelihood of smoking for female students, whereas financial stress decreased the likelihood of smoking for male students. Positive religious coping decreased the likelihood of smoking for females only. Consistent with religious coping theory and as expected, negative religious coping moderated the depressive symptoms-smoking relationship such that negative religious coping exacerbated the impact of depressive symptoms on cigarette smoking among females. Positive religious coping also moderated the depressive symptoms-cigarette smoking relationship for females. Contrary to expectations, positive religious coping exacerbated the likelihood of cigarette smoking among females with high levels of depressive symptoms. Negative religious coping moderated the financial stress-cigarette smoking relationship such that males who reported low financial stress and high levels of negative religious coping had the highest likelihood of smoking in the past month. For females, religious coping was associated with current cigarette use, but did not moderate the association between financial stress and smoking. Even after controlling for demographic covariates and nonreligious coping, positive and negative religious coping influenced the smoking behaviors of vocational students experiencing depressive symptoms and financial stress, and these outcomes varied by gender. Study limitations, implications, and suggestions for future directions in research are discussed. / text

Câncer de mama e ginecológico tem alta incidência entre as mulheres brasileiras e seu diagnóstico produz diversas reações emocionais, como ansiedade, depressão e redução da qualidade de vida. Coping é definido como o conjunto de estratégias, cognitivas e comportamentais, utilizadas para lidar com situações estressoras. Quando são utilizadas estratégias relacionadas à religião para lidar com o estresse, ocorre o chamado coping religioso-espiritual. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o coping religioso-espiritual de mulheres com câncer e verificar a relação deste fator com a presença de sintomas psicológicos, com a percepção de suporte social e com a qualidade de vida. Após a aprovação pelo comitê de ética, 120 mulheres diagnosticadas com câncer de mama ou ginecológico, em atendimento em um hospital universitário, foram avaliadas quanto ao uso do coping religioso-espiritual (Escala CRE), à percepção de suporte social (Escala de Suporte Social - MOS), à presença de sintomas de ansiedade e depressão (HAD) e à qualidade de vida (WHOQol-Bref). Uma entrevista semi-estruturada foi aplicada para levantar informações sociodemográficas, aspectos clínicos e prática religiosa. Os resultados foram submetidos a testes estatísticos para verificar a existência de relações entre as variáveis. A média de idade da amostra foi de 52,1 anos; a maioria possuía companheiro, tinha menos de oito anos de estudo e renda per capita menor que um salário mínimo; 63% referiram história familiar de câncer e 55,8% estavam em tratamento para câncer em estádio III e IV; 90% declararam ter uma religião definida e destes 78% eram praticantes. Foram identificados sintomas depressivos e de ansiedade em 30% da amostra. Quanto ao coping religiosoespiritual, 81% utilizavam CRE total em frequência alta e há uma proporção maior de participantes que faziam uso do coping positivo em comparação ao uso do enfrentamento negativo. A amostra obteve índices elevados em todas as dimensões de suporte social e a qualidade de vida mostrou-se mais baixa que em outras populações. A análise comparativa entre as variáveis permitiu identificar que o uso de estratégias positivas de coping religiosoespiritual estava significativamente relacionado à ausência de sintomas ansiosos e depressivos, a maior percepção de suporte social e a melhor qualidade de vida, enquanto que o uso de estratégias negativas de coping está relacionado à piores índices em todos os instrumentos (p<0,05). O coping religioso-espiritual foi uma estratégia de enfrentamento bastante utilizada por esta amostra mulheres com câncer. Este resultado indica a importância das variáveis religiosidade e espiritualidade no processo de resiliência e de proteção à saúde. / Breast and gynecologic cancer has a high incidence among Brazilian women and their diagnosis produces emotional reactions such as anxiety, depression and reduced quality of life. Coping is defined as the behavioural and cognitive strategies used to face stressful situations. Strategies linked to religion, named religious/spiritual coping. This study aimed to evaluate religious coping in women with cancer and the relationship with the psychological symptoms, social support and quality of life. After approval of the Institutional Ethics Committee, 120 women diagnosed with breast or gynecologic cancer, attending in a university hospital were evaluated for the use of religious coping (RCOPE), social support (Social Support Scale - MOS), anxiety and depression (HAD) and quality of life (WHOQOLBREF). A semi structured interview collected data on socio demographic characteristics, clinical, and religious practice. The results were subjected to statistical tests to check for relationships between variables. The mean age of the sample was 52.1 years, the majority had a partner, had less than eight years of schooling and income lower than the minimum wage, 63% reported family history of cancer and 55.8% were under treatment cancer stage III and IV, 90% had a specific religion and 78% of these were practitioners. We identified depressive symptoms and anxiety in 30% of the sample. As for the religious coping, 81% used CRE total high frequency and there is a greater proportion of participants who made use of positive coping in comparison to the use of negative coping. The sample obtained high ratings in all dimensions of social support and quality of life proved to be lower than in other populations. The comparative analysis between the variables identified that the use of positive religious coping was significantly related to the absence of anxious and depressive symptoms, the greater social support and better quality of life, while the use of negative religious coping is related to worst rates on all instruments (p <0.05). Religious coping proved to be a strategy frequently used by patients with a breast or gynaecological cancer. It also seems to be a protection factor to the psychological stress caused by diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

No description available.

Background: People from ethnic minority immigrant groups living in host countries are known to have higher risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. The role of acculturation, or assimilation into a different and dominant culture, is often studied from social and medical views when focusing on individuals diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases and their recovery after cardiac events. However, the effects of the complex roles of acculturation and religious coping on these individuals are rarely considered in the research. There is limited knowledge regarding the complex roles of acculturation and religious coping in adopting healthy lifestyle behaviours and managing stress among individuals with cardiovascular diseases from Arab communities in the Ottawa region. This research project’s general purpose was to explore and understand the complex roles of acculturation and religious coping through the experiences of individuals diagnosed with CVD from Arab communities in the Ottawa region. Objectives: The specific objectives were to 1) identify and understand the challenges among Arab immigrants related to acculturation and religiosity in adopting healthy lifestyle behaviours and managing stress; 2) measure and describe the levels of religious beliefs as well as religious coping strategies, acculturation, perceived stress, and healthy lifestyle behaviours among Arab individuals living in the region of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada who have been diagnosed with cardiac events or who are at high risk for cardiovascular diseases; and 3) explore the role of acculturation and religious coping in shaping male Arab individuals’ lived experiences after a cardiac event and to explore their ways of understanding lifestyle behaviours and cardiac rehabilitation during recovery. Methods: A mixed-method approach was adopted in this research, which included three separate studies: Study 1 was a qualitative study (views of key informants with first-hand knowledge) in which three face-to-face focus groups were conducted with 17 Arab health promoters; Study 2 was a cross-sectional survey study was conducted with 63 individuals from local Arab communities who had been diagnosed with cardiac events or who were at high risk for cardiovascular diseases; and Study 3 consisted of a phenomenographic qualitative study, semi-structured in-depth interviews with male Arab individuals (N=10), selected from Study 2, who identified themselves as having had cardiac events while living in Canada. Results: From the perspective of Arab health promoters, there was an overlapping between various aspects of acculturation and religious beliefs that may have impacted the healthy lifestyle of Arab immigrants. These challenges were coded in four themes: “Culture first!”: dominant influence of home country culture; “Religiosity alone does not make you healthy!”: limited religious influence; “It is not easy!”: difficulties adapting to the Canadian lifestyle; and “We are not young!”: generational differences in adopting a healthy lifestyle. Findings from the survey study indicated that most participants were oriented more toward their Arabic culture than Canadian culture. Participants tended to be religious, and their nutritional behaviours were healthier than physical activity behaviours. However, age, gender, and interestingly, length of time living in Canada did not affect the participants’ results in any of the questionnaires. Based on lived experiences of 10 participants in the interview study, five core themes were identified: “Stressful events or cardiac events!”: acculturative stress effects; “It was a dreamlike event!”: dismissing perceptions of cardiac events; “recognizing risk factors is not enough to avoid them”: perceived threat; religious coping outcomes: satisfaction and fatalism; Cardiac Rehabilitation programs: who refers and who participates. Conclusion: This dissertation showed that acculturation level plays an essential role in Arab immigrants’ beliefs and behaviours regarding their health status and their experiences in preventing cardiovascular diseases risk factors or in recovery after cardiac events. Religious coping seems to be a way for less acculturated Arab immigrants to manage stress and mental burdens and find internal peace and satisfaction. From the perspective of Arab health promoters, some religious or cultural beliefs may be barriers to engaging in physical activity, especially for women and older people, and these barriers may be exacerbated by acculturative stress. Religiosity may also play an essential indirect role in managing stress through socialization, family support, and the adoption of coping strategies. Arab individuals living in the region of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, who have been diagnosed with cardiac events or who are at high risk for cardiovascular diseases may have been more religious and less acculturated in Canadian society. Their lifestyle health behaviours related to physical activity and nutrition may have been influenced by their health status, religious beliefs, and the practices or traditions of their culture of origin. Stress and mental burdens while living in Canada reflected negatively on Arab male individuals’ experiences with cardiac events. Stress was perceived as a potential cause of cardiac events and a factor leading to low self-efficacy in changing lifestyle behaviours. There is a need to promote healthy lifestyle messages and raise awareness about cardiovascular diseases risk factors among Arab communities. Future research is needed to design culturally adapted cardiac rehabilitation programs for Arab individuals and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions with both physical and mental health components.

Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) improves the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for patients with end-stage heart failure (HF) (Friedrich & Bohm, 2007). Religious and spiritual practices positively influence health and well-being for cardiac patients (Ai, Park, Huang, Rodgers, & Tice, 2007; Blackhall, & Koenig, 1998). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of spiritual well-being (SWB) and religious well-being (RWB) and coping styles and methods (CSM) on health related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with MCS. This exploratory repeated measures study used Spearmans’ rho and Wilcoxons’ Signed Rank tests for correlation and comparison analyses. The study population included patients with left ventricular assist devices (HMII) and total artificial hearts (TAH). Patients were assessed pre and post MCS implant. Patients reported an increase in the use of faith practices for coping (prayer and meditation), providing evidence for spiritual growth after MCS. SWB, RWB, and CSM, and their corresponding subscales were positively related to HRQOL revealing medium to large correlation coefficients and variances. Post MCS, the TAH patients’ mean scores decreased for SWB and RWB (religious comfort) and increased for RWB (religious strain), indicating some spiritual distress. The internal locus of control for TAH patients increased with significance. HMII patients reported a significant increase in adaptive coping and “God” locus of control. The results suggest that early spiritual assessment with MCS patients may promote more timely and effective responses to maladaptive and dysfunctional coping. Patients who use their faith to cope (in distress or not) may also benefit from an increase in emotional and spiritual attention. Spiritual care providers who are knowledgeable about the MCS assessment, surgery, and recovery process could then provide interventions that build resilience and mediate improved outcomes through supportive and directed counseling. The results of this study inform the future development of interdisciplinary plans of spiritual and emotional care for this patient population and for other chronic illness populations. Further examination may reveal how SWB, RWB and CSM improve HRQOL as well as highlight the unique support needs of HMII and TAH patients.

Student Number : 7820500 - MA research report - School of Psychology - Faculty of Humanities / Internationally, suicide is highly prevalent among adolescents and young adults, and South African data suggest that suicide is a serious problem that is increasingly affecting the Black population and young men in particular. This study aimed firstly to investigate the prevalence of suicidal behaviour among young adults, and, in a sample of 85 young people (aged 19-30), one in seven had previously attempted suicide, and almost one in three had recently thought about killing themselves. Sociological research has shown that religion has a predominantly protective effect with regard to suicide, however psychological research, while providing evidence for a similar relationship, has also shown that religious strain may contribute to suicidality. This study sought to establish whether a relationship exists between suicidal ideation (and positive ideation), and various indicators of religiosity. Unexpectedly, given the research trends, suicidal ideation was significantly positively associated with self-reported religious salience (r = .297, p = .006), and with the collaborative/deferring religious coping style (r = .301, p = .005), characterized by higher levels of religiosity. Suicidal ideation was significantly negatively associated with the self-directing style (r = -.331, p = .002), favoured by less religious participants. Positive ideation was unrelated to religious salience, participation, and both religious coping approaches. Various explanations were proposed for these results. Cognition is a central pathway for suicidality, and insecure religious attachment, when triggered by stressors, may set in motion a cognitive process involving negative religious attributions and harmful religious coping strategies – typical symptoms of religious strain which has been associated with suicidal behaviour. Maladaptive religious beliefs and behaviours may also have a negative impact on depression, hopelessness and helplessness, all vulnerability factors for suicidal behaviour in young people. It is also possible that, when faced by life challenges that exceed coping capacity, individuals may be more likely to turn to God, while simultaneously experiencing hopelessness, depression and suicidal ideation. Finally, the gender skew in the sample may have resulted in the high levels of suicidal behaviour and religiosity, and the positive relationship between them. Vulnerability to suicidal behaviour in young adults is a multifaceted problem, and religion, itself a multidimensional concept, is one of many factors that may provide protection against or contribute to suicidal behaviour. In order to understand the complex problem of vulnerability to suicidal behaviour in young adults, there is a need for further multivariate research.