Psychology professors Sanda Dolcos and Florin Dolcos surveyed 203 young adults about how they deal with adversity.
Participants were given a list of methods that people use for coping with difficulty in their lives and used scales of various lengths to indicate how frequently they engaged in each method. Using the participants’ responses, the researchers analyzed the relationship between the use of religious coping mechanisms, an individual’s confidence in his or her ability to manage stress and an individual’s anxiety and depression.
Florin Dolcos said – “It appears that religious people are making use of some of the same tools that psychologists have systematically identified as effective in increasing well-being and protecting against distress.”
Therefore, he concluded, “Science and religion are on the same page when it comes to coping with hardship.” “For example, when somebody dies, a religious person may say, ‘OK, now they are with God,’ while someone who isn’t religious may say, ‘Well, at least they’re not suffering anymore.’”
The researchers concluded that use of religious tactics to deal with stress, may “have beneficial effects reflected in reduced symptoms of distress and improved well-being and quality of life.”