Coping with Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Academics in the Muslim World

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a global phenomenon defined by uncertainty, fear and grief which has resulted in record high levels of stress and anxiety in the first half of 2020. It also led to an increased interest in the study of the role of belief, religion, and spirituality as responses to coping with and responding to the pandemic throughout different societal domains. This study explores the impact of anxiety and stress caused by the pandemic on Muslim academics’ subjective well-being. It also explores correlations between coping and spirituality by assessing Muslim academics’ coping strategies in overcoming stress and anxiety. To this end, this study sampled 480 Muslim academics ages 25–60 years residing in Muslim countries. The findings show a negative yet significant correlation between anxiety and well-being while also showing a positive and significant correlation between coping strategies and subjective well-being. The research also points to the role of coping strategies in reducing anxiety and stress, the resulting improvements in well-being for Muslim academics, and the mediating effect of coping strategies between anxiety, stress, and well-being for Muslim academics. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10943-021-01422-3.

The Relationship Among Spirituality, Self-Efficacy, COVID-19 Anxiety, and Hopelessness During the COVID-19 Process in Turkey: A Path Analysis

“…During the pandemic, researchers have examined spirituality through various variables due to the essential role spirituality has in human life. Achour et al’s ( 2021 ) research revealed a significant positive correlation between well-being and performing prayer, religious activities, and meditation. Other research by Durmuş et al ( 2021 ) found a significant negative correlation between the spiritual well-being of pregnant women and fears of COVID-19 and depression.…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased interest in investigating the role of religion and spiritual resources for responding to and coping with the pandemic in various societies (Achour et al, 2021 ). Research before the pandemic showed belief in a higher power, prayer, and meditation to have positive effects in times of crisis (Thompson et al, 2016 ; Koenig, 2012 ; Sagaser et al, 2016 ).…”

Perceived Changes of Attitudes and Behaviors of Seventh-Day Adventists During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey in Germany

“…This would underline that intensifying one´s spirituality during the pandemic is a strategy to cope with fears and worries, while it is nevertheless not necessarily contributing to psychological wellbeing. This might be different in other religious groups as shown for Muslims (Saud et al, 2021 ; Mahmood et al, 2021 ; Anchour et al, 2021 ).…”

“…It is well known that a person´s faith or spirituality can be a buffer against adverse life events (Weber & Pargament, 2014 ), and thus it was assumed that this resource is relevant also to cope with the adverse effects of the corona pandemic (Kowalczyk et al, 2020 ; Pirutinsky et al, 2020 ; Asadzandi et al, 2020 ; Barmania & Reiss, 2020 ; Peteet, 2020 ; Koenig, 2020 ; Edara et al, 2021 ). Also for Muslims, it was stated that religion and religious coping may buffer health anxiety during the pandemic and may help to stabilize their wellbeing (Saud et al, 2021 ; Mahmood et al, 2021 ; Anchour et al, 2021 ). While these findings might be true for the first phases of the pandemic, it may not be true for all societies and specifically for the later phases of the pandemic (Büssing et al, 2022 ).…”

Latent Profile Analysis to Survey Positive Mental Health and Well-Being: A Pilot Investigation Insight Tunisian Facebook Users

“…Spirituality may also help patients build psychological toughness and resilience, and patients who are conscious of their own inner strength can create positive attitudes ( 98 , 99 ). Spirituality and religious coping behaviors ( 100 , 101 ), such as prayer, supplication, Quranic recitation, trusting and remembering God, forgiveness, patience, starting the day with positive ideas, thanking God for His blessings, are likely to become a coping mechanism after a traumatic experience ( 32 ) and may be a key determinant of post-traumatic growth ( 102 ). During the pandemic, religious groups rallied to fight the epidemic and its ramifications, demonstrating that religion can have a substantial impact on communal perceptions in times of crisis ( 103 ).…”