Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Understanding the Association Between Spirituality, Religiosity, and Feelings of Happiness and Sadness Among HIV-Positive Indian Adults: Examining Stress-Related Growth as a Mediator

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Religion and Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examined the role of stress-related growth as a mediator of the associations between spirituality, religiosity, and feelings of happiness and sadness in a sample of 178 HIV-positive Indian adults. Results indicated that spirituality, but not religiosity, was associated with feelings of happiness and sadness. Subsequent mediation analyses indicated that stress-related growth fully mediated the relationships involving spirituality and feelings of happiness and sadness. Overall, our findings point to the importance of facilitating greater spiritual development among HIV-positive Indians, as well as promoting strategies that help them develop and apply stress-related growth coping methods in their lives.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Calhoun, L. G., & Tedeschi, R. G. (Eds.). (2006). The handbook of posttraumatic growth: Research and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 267–283.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Census of India. (2001). Religion. Retrieved March 5, 2016, from http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_And_You/religion.aspx.

  • Del Rio, C. M., & White, L. J. (2012). Separating spirituality from religiosity: A hylomorphic attitudinal perspective. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 4, 123–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emmons, R. A., & Paloutzian, R. F. (2003). The psychology of religion. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 377–402.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fetzer Institute. (1991). Multidimensional measurement of religiousness/spirituality for use in health research: A report of the Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging Working Group. Kalamazoo, MI: Fetzer Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frankel, B. G., & Hewitt, W. E. (1994). Religion and well-being among Canadian university students: The role of faith groups on campus. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 33, 62–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galea, M., Ciarrocchi, J. W., Piedmont, R. L., & Wicks, R. J. (2007). Child abuse, personality, and spirituality as predictors of happiness in Maltese college students. Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 18, 141–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garlick, M., Wall, K., Corwin, D., & Koopman, C. (2011). Psycho-spiritual integrative therapy for women with primary breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 18, 78–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Golub, S. A., Walker, J. J., Longmire-Avital, B., Bimbi, D. S., & Parsons, J. T. (2010). The role of religiosity, social support, and stress-related growth in protecting against HIV risk among transgender women. Journal of Health Psychology, 15, 1135–1144.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, D. E., Meador, K. G., & Koenig, H. G. (2008). Measuring religiousness in health research: Review and critique. Journal of Religion and Health, 47, 134–163.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, P. C., Pargament, K. I., Hood, R. W., McCullough, M. E., Jr., Swyers, J. P., Larson, D. B., et al. (2000). Conceptualizing religion and spirituality: Points of commonality, points of departure. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 30, 51–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodge, D. R. (2004). Working with Hindu clients in a spiritually sensitive manner. Social Work, 49, 27–38.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ironson, G., Stuetzle, R., & Fletcher, M. A. (2006). An increase in religiousness/spirituality occurs after HIV diagnosis and predicts slower disease progression over 4 years in people with HIV. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21, S62–S68.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS [UNAIDS]. (2011). The Gap Report. Retrieved from http://files.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2014/UNAIDS_Gap_report_en.pdf.

  • Kim, N. Y., Huh, H. J., & Chae, J. H. (2015). Effects of religiosity and spirituality on the treatment response in patients with depressive disorders. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 60, 26–34.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, H. G. (2000). Religion, spirituality, and medicine: Application to clinical practice. Journal of the American Medical Association, 284, 1708.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, S., Mohanraj, R., Rao, D., Murray, K. R., & Manhart, L. E. (2015). Positive coping strategies and HIV-related stigma in South India. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 29, 157–163.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Labelle, L. E., Lawlor-Savage, L., Campbell, T. S., Faris, P., & Carlson, L. E. (2015). Does self-report mindfulness mediate the effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on spirituality and posttraumatic growth in cancer patients? The Journal of Positive Psychology, 10, 153–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milam, J. E. (2004). Posttraumatic growth among HIV/AIDS Patients. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34, 2353–2376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muesse, M. W. (2011). The Hindu traditions: A concise introduction. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, C., Jacobson, C. M., Weinberger, M. I., Bhaskaran, V., Rosenfeld, B., Breitbart, W., et al. (2009). The role of spirituality in the relationship between religiosity and depression in prostate cancer patients. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 38, 105–114.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, C. J., Rosenfeld, B., Breitbart, W., & Galietta, M. (2002). Spirituality, religion, and depression in the terminally ill. Psychosomatics: Journal of Consultation and Liaison Psychiatry, 43, 213–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palsane, M. N., & Lam, D. J. (1996). Stress and coping from traditional Indian and Chinese perspectives. Psychology and Developing Societies, 8, 29–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, C. L., Edmondson, D., & Blank, T. O. (2009). Religious and non-religious pathways to stress-related growth in cancer survivors. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 1, 321–335.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poloma, M. M., & Pendleton, B. F. (1990). Religious domains and general well-being. Social Indicators Research, 22, 255–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40, 879–891.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Purnell, J. Q., & Andersen, B. L. (2009). Religious practice and spirituality in the psychological adjustment of survivors of breast cancer. Counseling and Values, 53, 165–182.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reed, P. G. (1986). Religiousness among terminally ill and healthy adults. Research in Nursing & Health, 9, 35–41.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. E., & Mirowsky, J. (1989). Explaining the social patterns of depression: Control and problem solving—Or support and talking? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 30, 206–219.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sears, S. R., Stanton, A. L., & Danoff-Burg, S. (2003). The yellow brick road and the emerald city: Benefit finding, positive reappraisal coping and posttraumatic growth in women with early-stage breast cancer. Health Psychology, 22, 487–497.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seeman, T. E., Dubin, L. F., & Seeman, M. (2003). Religiosity/spirituality and health: A critical review of the evidence for biological pathways. American Psychologist, 58, 53–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sessanna, L., Finnell, D. S., Underhill, M., Chang, Y. P., & Peng, H. L. (2011). Measures assessing spirituality as more than religiosity: A methodological review of nursing and health-related literature. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 67, 1677–1694.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, K., & Schrimshaw, E. W. (2007). The stress moderating role of benefit finding on psychological distress and well-being among women living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS and Behavior, 11, 421–433.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smart, N., & Denny, F. (Eds.). (2007). Atlas of the world’s religions. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Somlai, A. M., Heckman, T. G., Kelly, J. A., Mulry, G. W., & Multhauf, K. E. (1997). The response of religious congregations to the spiritual needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling, 51, 415–426.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9, 455–472.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tennen, H., Affleck, G., Urrows, S., Higgins, P., & Mendola, R. (1992). Perceiving control, construing benefits, and daily processes in rheumatoid arthritis. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 24, 186–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNAIDS. (2005). AIDS epidemic update: December 2005. Author: Switzerland.

  • Van der Veer, P. (2014). The modern spirit of Asia: The spiritual and the secular in China and India. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Webb, J. R. (2003). Spiritual factors and adjustment in medical rehabilitation: Understanding forgiveness as a means of coping. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 34, 16–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Webb, J. R., Toussaint, L., & Dula, C. S. (2013). Ritualistic, theistic, and existential spirituality: Initial psychometric qualities of the RiTE measure of spirituality. Journal of Religion and Health, 53, 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Willie, T. C., Overstreet, N. M., Peasant, C., Kershaw, T., Sikkema, K. J., & Hansen, N. B. (2016). Anxiety and depressive symptoms among people living with HIV and childhood sexual abuse: The role of shame and posttraumatic growth. AIDS and Behavior, 20, 1609–1620.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Woods, T. E., & Ironson, G. H. (1999). Religion and spirituality in the face of illness how cancer, cardiac, and HIV patients describe their spirituality/religiosity. Journal of Health Psychology, 4, 393–412.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yonker, J. E., Schnabelrauch, C. A., & DeHaan, L. G. (2012). The relationship between spirituality and religiosity on psychological outcomes in adolescents and emerging adults: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 299–314.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Edward C. Chang would like to thank Tae Myung-Sook and Chang Suk-Choon for their support on the present study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Edward C. Chang, Tina Yu, Jerin Lee, Casey N.-H. Batterbee, Kayla R. Stam, Olivia D. Chang & Alexandria S.-M. Najarian

  2. Department of Psychology, Karnatak University, Karnataka, India

    Shanmukh V. Kamble

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN, USA

    Kaitlin M. Wright

Authors
  1. Edward C. Chang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tina Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jerin Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Shanmukh V. Kamble
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Casey N.-H. Batterbee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Kayla R. Stam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Olivia D. Chang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Alexandria S.-M. Najarian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Kaitlin M. Wright
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Edward C. Chang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chang, E.C., Yu, T., Lee, J. et al. Understanding the Association Between Spirituality, Religiosity, and Feelings of Happiness and Sadness Among HIV-Positive Indian Adults: Examining Stress-Related Growth as a Mediator. J Relig Health 57, 1052–1061 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0540-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0540-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation