Attachment to God and Psychological Adjustment: God's Responses and Our Coping Strategies

Trait Courage, Attachment to God, and Mental Well-Being Among U.S. Collegiate Athletes

In recent decades, scholars and practitioners alike have devoted increased attention to the psychological well-being of student-athletes. However, to date, far less research has examined the role of virtues, religion, and spirituality in contributing to well-being in student-athlete populations. In this study, we attempt to address these gaps by (a) assessing the association between trait courage, an understudied virtue in the sporting realm, and mental well-being, and then (b) considering how student-athletes' attachment to God might moderate the association between trait courage and depressive symptoms. Drawing on a sample of 415 student-athletes from the USA, regression results illustrate that courage was not significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms among student-athletes. However, a secure attachment to God appeared to function as a compensatory resource for student-athletes lacking in courage. On the contrary, athletes with low trait courage but who reported greater avoidant attachment to God reported greater depressive symptoms. Taken together, a more positive relationship with God could help provide athletes with lower trait courage a way to find meaning and strength that helps them with emotion-regulation strategies to deal with the pressures within and beyond their sport. This study clearly shows that greater attention should be paid to the religious and spiritual development of student-athletes.

Age Differences in Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Assessing the Moderating Role of Attachment to God

Objectives: This study examined age differences in mental health problems (depression and anxiety) during the COVID-19 pandemic using nationally representative data from the United States. Drawing from a life course perspective, we also assessed if a secure attachment to God conditioned the relationship between age and mental health. Methods: Data were from the 2021 Values and Beliefs of the American Public Study (N = 1168), collected roughly 1 year into the pandemic. Results: Older adults (61 years and over) reported lower depression and anxiety than respondents 18-30 years of age. However, stronger perceptions of attachment to God significantly closed the age gap in anxiety between these age groups. Discussion: Though absolute levels of religiosity tend to be higher for older adults, secure attachment to God was more protective of the mental health of younger adults during the pandemic. We reflect on our findings through a life course lens.

Spiritually Well, Mentally Well? Examining the Early Life Religious Antecedents of the Impact of Spiritual Well-Being on Mental Health Among United Methodist Clergy in North Carolina

Research has consistently shown that the seeds of religiosity are planted and begin to take form during early life socialization, but little attention have been given to these dynamics among clergy members. In this study, we consider whether early life religious exposure may amplify the beneficial effects of spiritual well-being (having a "thriving" spiritual life) for mental health and burnout for clergy. Drawing from a life course perspective, we use longitudinal data from the Clergy Health Initiative, which sampled United Methodist Clergy in North Carolina (n = 1330). Key results suggest that higher frequencies of childhood religious attendance were consistently associated with lower depressive symptoms and burnout. The beneficial associations between spiritual well-being and lower depressive symptoms and burnout were also stronger for clergy with greater church attendance in childhood. The accumulation of "religious capital" for clergy who were raised in religious households with regular service attendance appear to accentuate the positive effects of spiritual well-being, which encompass a greater sense of closeness to God in their own lives and in ministry. This study identifies the importance of researchers taking a "longer" view of the religious and spiritual lives of clergy.

What Aspects of Religion and Spirituality Affect the Physical Health of Cancer Patients? A Systematic Review

In recent years, the literature on the relationship between religion and spirituality (R/S) and the health of cancer patients has been flourishing. Although most studies focus on mental health, many study the physical health of these individuals. In order to summarize the findings of these studies, we reviewed the most recent research on this subject using the PubMed and PsycInfo databases. The objective of this systematic review was to recognize the primary R/S variables studied in research on physical health in cancer contexts. We found that spiritual well-being was the most-researched variable in studies of these characteristics, followed by R/S struggles and other variables such as religious coping; religious commitment or practice; or self-rated R/S. In general, R/S seems to have a positive association with the physical health of cancer patients, although the results are quite heterogeneous, and occasionally there are no relationships or the association is negative. Our results may assist in improving interventions that include spirituality in clinical settings as well as the development of holistic approaches, which may have a positive impact on the quality of life and well-being of cancer patients.

Relationship between perceived threat of COVID-19 and burnout among frontline nurses: A mediation analysis

BACKGROUND

Burnout of nurses during the Coronavirus of 2019 pandemic can end up extremely expensive for societies. It is found that positive religious coping (PRC) and a secure God attachment are effective for shielding against the adverse consequences of being exposed to stressful situations.

METHODS

This research explores the relationships among God attachment, religious coping, and burnout among nurses who are confronted with COVID-19 as a perceived threat through a model based on the combination of attachment theory and the Job Demands-Resources model. Analysis was done using SMART-PLS.

RESULTS

The results reveal that perceived threat of COVID-19 (PTC) positively correlates with burnout among nurses and that secure attachment to God and PRC can buffer this relationship, while insecure attachment to God, including anxious and avoidant attachment, along with negative religious coping positively mediates the relationship between PTC and burnout.

CONCLUSION

Finally, this study suggests managerial implications of these findings for healthcare organizations and a recommendation for helping out staff to help them manage such threats and their attachment to God.

Perceptions of Spiritual Dryness in Iran During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study addresses perceptions of spiritual dryness (a specific form of spiritual struggle) during the COVID-19 pandemic among Iranian Muslims (n = 362), and how these perceptions can be predicted. Spiritual dryness was perceived often to regularly by 27% and occasionally by 35%. Regression models revealed that the best predictors of spiritual dryness (SDS-7) were usage of mood-enhancing medications, loneliness/social isolation and praying as positive predictors, and being restricted in daily life concerns as negative predictor. The pandemic challenges mental stability of people worldwide and may also challenge trust in God. Reliable and humble support of people experiencing these phases is required.