Religious Coping Among Diverse Religions: Commonalities and Divergences

In this article, we review and evaluate the steadily growing body of research on religious coping among diverse religious samples. Comparisons are made between findings generated from Christian samples and those generated from other religious groups. Several conclusions are drawn based on this review. First, many people across diverse religious traditions rely on their religious and spiritual teachings, beliefs, and practices to cope with life's difficulties, challenges, and stressors. Second, though religious coping is common in all religious traditions, its nuances and particulars vary in ways that reflect the nature and tenants of each faith. Third, as in the case of Christian samples, findings from studies of other religious groups reveal that some forms of religious coping are associated with desirable outcomes, whereas others are linked to undesirable outcomes. Fourth, as in the case of Christian samples, findings from other religious samples indicate that people report using positive religious coping methods far more frequently than their negative counterparts. Possible explanations of the findings are offered, and their practical implications are discussed.