Changes in Religiosity and Reliance on God during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Protective Role under Conditions of Financial Strain?

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the most devastating disasters of the twenty-first century and has exacted a steep health and economic toll. During times of suffering caused by the pandemic, religion/spirituality may prove to be a consistent and valuable coping resource. Purpose We situate changes in religious importance and reliance on God as key aspects of religious life that may be important coping mechanisms in response to pandemic-related financial hardship, addressing a gap in the literature on religious coping during the pandemic and considering self-reported changes in religiosity. Methods We use data from a nationally representative sample of Americans that was collected in 2021 (N = 1704) and employ a series of OLS Regression Models. Results Our results suggest that relying more heavily on God was associated with lower psychological distress, and a stronger reliance on God buffered the deleterious consequences of financial strain on psychological distress. No such patterns were documented for religious importance. Conclusion and Implications We discuss our findings within the broader religion and health literature as to whether secondary control via a divine power reduces or enhances individual agency and discuss religion/spirituality may be a consistent and valuable coping resource through adversity and suffering. Though it may be challenging to maintain, or increase, religious/spiritual beliefs in the face of adversity, that there were observed benefits to well-being for doing so could serve as insightful guidance for both religious leaders and R/S individuals.

Threat Appraisal, Resilience, and Health Behaviors in Recovered COVID-19 Patients: The Serial Mediation of Coping and Meaning-Making

“…Our study also demonstrated that meaning-focused coping positively correlated with behaviors that promote well-being. This result is in line with those of previous studies, in which meaning-focused coping was positively associated with positive affect (including pain control) over time in somatic patients [ 55 ], and meaningful attitudes to transcendence were associated with a lower level of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 78 ]. Similarly, Ziółkowska et al [ 79 ] showed that meaning-focused coping (measured as positive reappraisal) was a predictor of positive emotions in children diagnosed with cancer.…”

Hurt on Both Sides: Political Differences in Health and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…These differences may help to explain divergent patterns of health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps relatedly, scholars of religion and health have long argued that divine beliefs play an important role in the stress process, shaping individuals’ access to coping resources and their appraisal of stressful circumstances as threatening or manageable (Louie et al 2022; Schieman and Bierman 2011; Upenieks and Ellison 2022). An analogous, broader process might occur in the political arena, as novel social threats are interpreted through a political lens.…”

The Relationship between Religion, Substance Misuse, and Mental Health among Black Youth

“…It includes a fundamental belief in God and is measured by prayer, church attendance, and meditation frequency. For example, some scholars have found that research focused on the role of stress within a stress process model has shown that individual religiosity buffers the adverse association between financial strain and mental health ( Upenieks and Ellison 2023 ). Recent trends suggest declines in Black youth religiosity, especially during the last two years of high school when many become disinterested in formal religious involvement and stop attending religious services regularly.…”