In Search of Serenity: Religious Struggle Among Patients Hospitalized for Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome

Abstract

Hospitalization for a sudden cardiac event is a frightening experience, one that is often marked by uncertainty about health status, fear of recurrent cardiac problems, and related existential, religious, and spiritual concerns. Religious struggle, reflecting tension and strain regarding religious and spiritual issues, may arise in response to symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The present study examined the prevalence and types of religious struggle using the Brief RCOPE, as well as associations between religious struggle, psychological distress, and self-reported sleep habits among 62 patients hospitalized with suspected ACS. Fifty-eight percent of the sample reported some degree of religious struggle. Questioning the power of God was the most frequently endorsed struggle. Those struggling religiously reported significantly more symptoms of anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance. Non-White participants endorsed greater use of positive religious coping strategies and religious struggle. Results suggest that patients hospitalized for suspected ACS experiencing even low levels of religious struggle might benefit from referral to a hospital chaplain or appropriately trained mental health professional for more detailed religious and spiritual assessment. Practical means of efficiently screening for religious struggle during the often brief hospitalization period for suspected ACS are discussed.

Religious/Spiritual Struggles and Life Satisfaction among Young Roman Catholics: The Mediating Role of Gratitude

“…Investigations point to a normative character of R/S struggles that constitute an important and expected part of human life (Exline et al 2014a(Exline et al , 2014bExline and Rose 2005;Magyar-Russell et al 2014;Sedlar et al 2018;Tobin and Slatcher 2016). In fact, some theologians maintain that religious doubts are inevitable and may play a beneficial role in personal spiritual growth (Ellison et al 2013).…”

“…A significant body of literature (Sedlar et al 2018) has revealed that religious/spiritual (R/S) struggles are not uncommon and are strongly interconnected with greater health problems (McConnell et al 2006). People can struggle with their faith in response to trauma or stressful events (Currier et al 2018), a serious, life-threatening experience such as heart failure (Magyar-Russell et al 2014;Park et al 2011), different forms of cancer (Fitchett et al 2004;Sherman et al 2005), bereavement (Burke and Neimeyer 2014;Cowchock et al 2010;Neimeyer and Burke 2011), indicators of emotional distress (Exline and Rose 2005) such as anxiety (Zarzycka and Zietek 2018) and depression (Exline et al 2000;Murphy et al 2016), and a lower well-being or satisfaction with life (Wilt et al 2016;Zarzycka and Zietek 2018). R/S struggles might be related to extrinsic, intrinsic, and quest religiousness (Hill and Pargament 2008), as well.…”

Advancing our understanding of religion and spirituality in the context of behavioral medicine

“…Conceptualizations of religion developed by health psychology researchers may have implications for links between RS and health. These conceptualizations include concepts of meaning making (Park, 2012), reappraisal (Dezutter et al, 2011), sense of community (LaPierre, 1994), sense of reverence (Ai et al, 2011), and relief of existential distress (Magyar-Russell et al, 2014). …”

Religious participation predicts diurnal cortisol profiles 10 years later via lower levels of religious struggle.

“…Negative religious coping is a general term used to describe maladaptive ways religion can be used to cope. Religious struggle, is a specific type of negative religious coping that is marked by tension and strain about religious and spiritual issues, the reinterpretation of stressors as punishment from the sacred, and/or spiritual discontent (Magyar-Russell et al., 2014). Religious struggle is a normative and expected process in dealing with life stress with outcomes dependent on how these struggles are managed, such that resolved religious struggles are associated with growth and transformation but unresolved religious struggle or strain is linked with hopelessness and poor psychological health (Magyar-Russell, et al, 2014; Pargament, Murray-Swank, Magyar, & Ano, 2005).…”

“…Religious struggle, is a specific type of negative religious coping that is marked by tension and strain about religious and spiritual issues, the reinterpretation of stressors as punishment from the sacred, and/or spiritual discontent (Magyar-Russell et al., 2014). Religious struggle is a normative and expected process in dealing with life stress with outcomes dependent on how these struggles are managed, such that resolved religious struggles are associated with growth and transformation but unresolved religious struggle or strain is linked with hopelessness and poor psychological health (Magyar-Russell, et al, 2014; Pargament, Murray-Swank, Magyar, & Ano, 2005). Positive religious coping has been linked with lower levels of anxiety and better physical well-being, whereas religious struggle is associated with greater depressive symptoms, poor physical health, and even greater risk of mortality (Ai, Seymour, Tice, Kronfol, & Bolling, 2009; Sherman, Simonton, Latif, Spohn, & Tricot, 2005).…”