The Relationship of Religious Comfort and Struggle with Anxiety and Satisfaction with Life in Roman Catholic Polish Men: The Moderating Effect of Sexual Orientation

Abstract

The aim of the research was to analyze the relationships of religious comfort and struggle with state anxiety and satisfaction with life in homosexual and heterosexual samples of men. A hundred and eight men aged between 18 and 43 participated in the research in total, 54 declared themselves as homosexual and 54 as heterosexual. The Religious Comfort and Strain Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were applied to the research. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that sexual orientation moderated the relationships of religious comfort and struggle with state anxiety and satisfaction with life. The highest state anxiety was observed in homosexual participants with high negative social interactions surrounding religion scores. Negative religious social interactions with fellow congregants and religious leaders, including disapproval and criticism, create anxiety among homosexual people. It seems that homosexual participants are engaged in a trade-off between valued and necessary religious engagement and the harassment and persecution they may be forced to endure in order to access that engagement.

Can Religious and Spiritual Struggle Enhance Well-Being? Exploring the Mediating Effects of Internal Dialogues

“…Although a large number of studies suggest that this type of struggle worsens health and well-being (e.g., Abu-Raiya et al 2015 ; Ellison and Lee 2010 ; Ellison et al 2010 ; Exline and Rose 2013 ; Fitchett et al 2004 ; McConnell et al 2006 ), some researchers have claimed that people can benefit from their struggle in the religious or spiritual realm (Desai 2006 , 2015 ; Pargament et al 2006 ; Zarzycka and Zietek 2018 ). The latter studies indicate that mediators and moderators play important roles in predicting well-being during religious/spiritual struggle (Ellison et al 2013 ; Zarzycka et al 2017 ; Zarzycka and Zietek 2018 ). The results we obtained show that internal dialogical activity is a mediator of the relationship between religious/spiritual struggle and psychological well-being.…”

American Perspectives on Suicidality Among Men in Poland

“…In contrast, gays in Poland were never accepted socially, they have no rights to marry, they cannot serve in the military, and they are not legally protected. Tension that is created by religious leaders produces anxiety and chronic stress in the lives of gay men in Poland (Zarzycka, Rybarski, & Sliwak 2017). Governing party officials and bishops of the Catholic Church have identified what they call "gender ideology" (Szwed 2019), which recently they replaced with "…”

Dampak Sikap terhadap Tuhan pada Kepuasan Hidup Mahasiswa Kristen di Jabodetabek pada Masa Pandemi

“…Interaksi antara persepsi positif dan negatif terhadap kepuasan hidup terlihat dari beberapa penelitian sebelumnya (Abu-Raiya et al, 2016;Exline, Wilt, Stauner, & Pargament, 2021;Zarzycka, Pietruszka, & Śliwak, 2015;Zarzycka, Rybarski, & Sliwak, 2017;Zarzycka, Sliwak, Krok, & Ciszek, 2019). Berbagai penelitian ini secara umum menemukan bahwa persepsi positif tentang Tuhan seperti merasa tidak ditinggalkan oleh Tuhan dapat membantu mengatasi efek negatif dari persepsi negatif tentang Tuhan.…”

“…Mereka yang mempunyai persepsi positif tinggi cenderung mempunyai persepsi negatif yang rendah, tetapi korelasinya tidak 1, yang berarti dua persepsi ini tidak sepenuhnya bertentangan. Hal ini sesuai dengan hasil penelitian sebelumnya yang menemukan bahwa persepsi positif dan negatif kepada Tuhan wajar terjadi dalam kehidupan orang Kristen (Wood, 2010;Yali, 2019;Zarzycka, 2017).…”