PMID- 11331802
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20010802
LR  - 20220316
IS  - 1075-2730 (Print)
IS  - 1075-2730 (Linking)
VI  - 52
IP  - 5
DP  - 2001 May
TI  - The prevalence of religious coping among persons with persistent mental illness.
PG  - 660-5
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of religious 
      coping among persons with persistent mental illness and to gain a preliminary 
      understanding of the relationship between religious coping and symptom severity 
      and overall functioning. METHODS: A total of 406 individuals who were diagnosed 
      as having a mental illness and who were patients at one of 13 Los Angeles County 
      mental health facilities completed a survey consisting of the Religious Coping 
      Index, the Symptom Checklist 90-R (SCL-90), the Global Assessment of Functioning 
      (GAF) scale, and a 48-item demographic questionnaire. RESULTS: More than 80 
      percent of the participants used religious beliefs or activities to cope with 
      daily difficulties or frustrations. A majority of participants devoted as much as 
      half of their total coping time to religious practices, with prayer being the 
      most frequent activity. Specific religious coping strategies, such as prayer or 
      reading the Bible, were associated with higher SCL-90 scores (indicating more 
      severe symptoms), more reported frustration, and a lower GAF score (indicating 
      greater impairment). The amount of time that participants devoted to religious 
      coping was negatively related to reported levels of frustration and scores on the 
      SCL-90 symptom subscales. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study suggest that 
      religious activities and beliefs may be particularly compelling for persons who 
      are experiencing more severe symptoms, and increased religious activity may be 
      associated with reduced symptoms. Religion may serve as a pervasive and 
      potentially effective method of coping for persons with mental illness, thus 
      warranting its integration into psychiatric and psychological practice.
FAU - Tepper, L
AU  - Tepper L
AD  - University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. tepphd@earthlink.net
FAU - Rogers, S A
AU  - Rogers SA
FAU - Coleman, E M
AU  - Coleman EM
FAU - Malony, H N
AU  - Malony HN
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - United States
TA  - Psychiatr Serv
JT  - Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)
JID - 9502838
SB  - IM
MH  - Adaptation, Psychological/*classification
MH  - Adult
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Los Angeles/epidemiology
MH  - Male
MH  - Mental Competency
MH  - Mental Disorders/prevention & control/*psychology
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Prevalence
MH  - Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
MH  - *Religion and Psychology
MH  - Severity of Illness Index
MH  - Socioeconomic Factors
MH  - Surveys and Questionnaires
EDAT- 2001/05/02 10:00
MHDA- 2001/08/03 10:01
CRDT- 2001/05/02 10:00
PHST- 2001/05/02 10:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2001/08/03 10:01 [medline]
PHST- 2001/05/02 10:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1176/appi.ps.52.5.660 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Psychiatr Serv. 2001 May;52(5):660-5. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.52.5.660.