Religious Coping: A Remedy for Stress and Sorrows: Research into the efficacy and use of religious coping strategies among Protestants and  Catholics in the West experiencing a serious medical condition

Each individual has their own way of dealing with a stressful situation. Research into the concept of religious coping provides insight into how Catholics and Protestants use their religious beliefs to deal with these types of situations. This thesis focuses on the use and efficacy of religious coping by Protestants and Catholics in the West experiencing a serious medical condition. This is an important topic because studying the relationship between religious coping and distress also shows what beliefs can be helpful or harmful during these situations. It also provides insight into the ways that these religious traditions influence the behavior of individuals whilst experiencing negative life events. The goal of this thesis is to identify the similarities and differences between the use of religious coping among Protestants and Catholics in the West experiencing a serious medical condition. In order to do this the thesis compares three studies on religious coping among Protestants...Show moreEach individual has their own way of dealing with a stressful situation. Research into the concept of religious coping provides insight into how Catholics and Protestants use their religious beliefs to deal with these types of situations. This thesis focuses on the use and efficacy of religious coping by Protestants and Catholics in the West experiencing a serious medical condition. This is an important topic because studying the relationship between religious coping and distress also shows what beliefs can be helpful or harmful during these situations. It also provides insight into the ways that these religious traditions influence the behavior of individuals whilst experiencing negative life events. The goal of this thesis is to identify the similarities and differences between the use of religious coping among Protestants and Catholics in the West experiencing a serious medical condition. In order to do this the thesis compares three studies on religious coping among Protestants and Catholics in the West. The results of this comparison suggest there are more similarities than differences in the use of religious coping between both groups. However, the efficacy of religious coping appears to differ between the groups. By looking at the core beliefs of the religious traditions this thesis offers possible explanations for these findings. This thesis revealed that the focus of Protestantism on faith as opposed to the Catholic focus on confession could be the reason why Protestants experience more benefits from religious coping in uncontrollable stressful situations. These findings should inspire future researchers to investigate the relations between religious coping and specific religious traditions.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

Religious Coping: A Remedy for Stress and Sorrows: Research into the efficacy and use of religious coping strategies among Protestants and Catholics in the West experiencing a serious medical condition