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Coping with an Evil World: Contextualizing the Stress-Buffering Role of Scripture Reading
Reed T DeAngelis1, Gabriel A Acevedo2, Brandon Vaidyanathan3
1Department of Sociology and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
|August 11, 2022
Summary
Belief in an evil world changes how scripture reading affects mental health. For some, scripture reading reduces stress; for others, it amplifies distress when facing life events.
Area of Science:
- Psychology of Religion
- Sociology of Religion
- Mental Health Research
Background:
- Religious coping is a significant factor in mental health.
- The role of scripture reading in moderating stress requires further investigation.
- Belief systems about the world's nature may influence religious coping effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if belief in an evil world conditions the stress-moderating effect of scripture reading.
- To examine the relationship between scripture reading, life events, and psychological distress among diverse churchgoers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized original survey data from 1,115 Black, Hispanic, and White American churchgoers in South Texas (2017-2018).
- Employed statistical analysis to assess the interaction between scripture reading, belief in an evil world, major life events, and psychological distress.
Main Results:
- Scripture reading attenuated the positive association between major life events and psychological distress for those who do not believe the world is evil.
- For congregants who believe the world is fundamentally evil and sinful, scripture reading amplified the association between life events and psychological distress.
- The effectiveness of scripture reading as a coping mechanism is contingent on an individual's worldview.
Conclusions:
- The impact of scripture reading on mental health is not uniform; it depends on the believer's perception of the world.
- Findings advance religious coping literature by highlighting the conditional nature of scriptural coping benefits.
- Future research should consider theological beliefs and worldview when examining religious coping strategies.
Keywords:
major life eventsmental healthreligious and spiritual strugglesreligious copingscriptural copingstress processMore Related Videos
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