En las manos de Dios [in God's hands]: Religious and other forms of coping among Latinos with arthritis

Abstract

This study tested a theoretical model concerning religious, passive, and active coping; pain; and psychological adjustment among a sample of 200 Latinos with arthritis. Respondents reported using high levels of religious coping. A path analysis indicated that religious coping was correlated with active but not with passive coping. Religious coping was directly related to psychological well-being. Passive coping was associated with greater pain and worse adjustment. The effects of active coping on pain, depression, and psychological well-being were entirely indirect, mediated by acceptance of illness and self-efficacy. These findings warrant more research on the mechanisms that mediate the relationship between coping and health. This study contributes to a growing literature on religious coping among people with chronic illness, as well as contributing to a historically under-studied ethnic group.

Figure 1

Full theoretical model with hypothesized paths. Correlations among variables are represented by lines with double-headed arrows. Paths (i.e., effects of particular variables on others) are shown with single-headed arrows. Error terms are shown as Es. The model predicts that religious coping is correlated with active but not with passive coping and that passive and active coping are negatively related (Correlations a and b). Religious, passive, and active coping predict acceptance of and self-efficacy over arthritis (Paths c, d, and k to n). Acceptance and self-efficacy, in turn, lead to decreased pain and depression, and greater psychological well-being (Paths e through j).

Figure 2

Final model: χ²(9, N = 200) = 13.28, p = .15, comparative fit index = .99. Correlations among variables are represented by lines with double-headed arrows. Paths (i.e., effects of particular variables on others) are shown with single-headed arrows. Error terms are shown as Es.