The Relationship of Religious Comfort and Struggle with Anxiety and Satisfaction with Life in Roman Catholic Polish Men: The Moderating Effect of Sexual Orientation

Abstract

The aim of the research was to analyze the relationships of religious comfort and struggle with state anxiety and satisfaction with life in homosexual and heterosexual samples of men. A hundred and eight men aged between 18 and 43 participated in the research in total, 54 declared themselves as homosexual and 54 as heterosexual. The Religious Comfort and Strain Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were applied to the research. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that sexual orientation moderated the relationships of religious comfort and struggle with state anxiety and satisfaction with life. The highest state anxiety was observed in homosexual participants with high negative social interactions surrounding religion scores. Negative religious social interactions with fellow congregants and religious leaders, including disapproval and criticism, create anxiety among homosexual people. It seems that homosexual participants are engaged in a trade-off between valued and necessary religious engagement and the harassment and persecution they may be forced to endure in order to access that engagement.

Keywords: Anxiety; Homosexuality; Religious comfort; Religious struggle; Satisfaction with life.

Fig. 1

Level of state anxiety as a function of sexual orientation and a fear–guilt or b negative social interactions surrounding religion. Computed slopes of regression line for level of a fear–guilt and state anxiety and b negative social interactions surrounding religion and state anxiety are presented

Fig. 2

Level of satisfaction with life as a function of sexual orientation and fear–guilt. Computed slopes of regression line for level of fear–guilt and satisfaction with life are presented