The Mediating Role of Secular Coping Strategies in the Relationship between Religious Beliefs and Adjustment to Chronic Pain: The Middle Road to Damascus

Abstract

The study sought to determine the relationship between both positive and negative religious beliefs and adjustment to chronic pain, as measured by pain severity, disability, depression, anger, and positive and negative affect. This study also sought to identify specific secular coping strategies that mediate the proposed relationship between religious beliefs and adjustment to chronic pain. Chronic pain patients (N= 29) completed the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the Oswestry Disability Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), the Trait Anger subscale from the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-II (STAXI-II), and 3 scales from the RCOPE (Benevolent Religious Reappraisal, Punishing God Reappraisal, and Demonic Reappraisal). Benevolent religious appraisals were significantly related to the secular coping strategies of diverting attention, ignoring pain sensations, reinterpreting pain sensations, and using coping self-statements. Benevolent religious appraisals were also related to positive affect. Coping self-statements did not mediate this relationship. A significant positive relationship was found between punishing God appraisals and depression, with catastrophizing mediating this relationship. Demonic appraisals were significantly related to disability.