Tix and Frazier (1998) defined religious coping as the “use of cognitive or behavioral techniques, in the face of stressful life events, that arise out of one’s religion or spirituality” (p. 411). Religious coping strategies often stem directly from an individual’s religious beliefs system and help them to construct meaning and form interpretations (both positive and negative) of stressful situations and events (Gall and Cornblat 2002). Moreover, religious coping has been found to be a distinct form of coping separate from secular forms of coping (e.g., cognitive restructuring) (Tarakeshwar and Pargament 2001). It has been hypothesized that the incorporation of religion into the process of coping provides a source of meaning that may not be as salient or readily accessed during times of distress with secular forms of coping (Krause 1998).
Religion and Coping with Trauma
When faced with stressful life events, many people turn to their faith for comfort, support, and a sense of meaning...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Bibliography
Bearon, L. B., & Koenig, H. G. (1990). Religious cognitions and use of prayer in health and illness. Gerontologist, 30, 249–253.
Bjorck, J. P., & Cohen, L. H. (1993). Coping with threats, losses, and challenges. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 12, 36–72.
Bowker, L. H. (1988). Religious victims and their religious leaders: Services delivered to one thousand battered women by clergy. In A. L. Horton & J. A. Williamson (Eds.), Abuse and religion: When praying isn’t enough (pp. 229–234). Lexington: Lexington Books.
Ellison, C. G., & Taylor, R. J. (1996). Turning to prayer: Social and situational antecedents of religious coping among African Americans. Review of Religious Research, 38, 111–131.
Ferraro, K. F., & Koch, J. R. (1994). Religion and health among black and white adults: Examining social support and consolation. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 33, 362–375.
Gall, T. L., & Cornblat, M. W. (2002). Breast cancer survivors give voice: A qualitative analysis of spiritual factors in long-term adjustment. Psycho-Oncology, 11, 524–535.
Jenkins, R. A., & Pargament, K. I. (1988). Cognitive appraisals in cancer patients. Social Science & Medicine, 26, 625–633.
Kesselring, A., Dodd, M. J., Lindsey, A. M., & Strauss, A. L. (1986). Attitudes of patients living in Switzerland about cancer and its treatment. Cancer Nursing, 9, 77–85.
Koenig, H. G., George, L. K., & Siegler, I. C. (1988). The use of religion and other emotion-regulating coping strategies among older adults. Gerontologist, 28, 303–310.
Krause, N. (1998). Neighborhood deterioration, religious coping, and changes in health during late life. Gerontologist, 38, 653–664.
McConnell, K. M., Pargament, K. I., Ellison, C. G., & Flannelly, K. J. (2006). Examining the links between spiritual struggles and symptoms of psychopathology in a national sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62, 1469–1484.
Pargament, K. I. (1997). The psychology of religion and coping: Theory, research, practice. New York: Guilford Press.
Pargament, K. I. (2002). The bitter and the sweet: An evaluation of the costs and benefits of religiousness. Psychological Inquiry, 13, 168–181.
Pargament, K. I. (2005). The sacred search for significance: Religion as a unique process. Journal of Social Issues, 61, 665–687.
Pargament, K. I., & Ano, G. G. (2006). Spiritual resources and struggles in coping with medical illness. Southern Medical Journal, 99, 1161–1162.
Pargament, K. I., Kennell, J., Hathaway, W., Grevengoed, N., Newman, J., & Jones, W. (1988). Religion and the problem-solving process: Three style of coping. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 27, 90–104.
Pargament, K. I., Ensing, D. S., Falgout, K., Olsen, H., Reilly, B., Van Haitsma, K., et al. (1990). God help me: Religious coping efforts as predictors of the outcomes to significant negative life events. American Journal of Community Psychology, 15, 269–286.
Tarakeshwar, N., & Pargament, K. I. (2001). Religious coping in families of children with autism. Focus on Autism and other developmental disabilities, 16, 247–260.
Tarakeshwar, N., Vanderwerker, L. C., Paulk, E., Pearce, M. J., Kasl, S. V., & Prigerson, H. G. (2006). Religious coping is associated with the quality of life of patients with advanced cancer. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 9, 646–657.
Tatsumura, Y., Maskarinec, G., Shumay, D. M., & Kakai, H. (2003). Religious and spiritual resources, CAM, and conventional treatment in the lives of cancer patients. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 9(3), 64–71.
Tix, A. P., & Frazier, P. A. (1998). The use of religious coping during stressful life events: Main effects, moderation, and mediation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 411–422.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Denney, R.M., Aten, J.D. (2020). Religious Coping. In: Leeming, D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24348-7_578
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24348-7_578
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-24347-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-24348-7
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences