The Relationships between Religious Coping and Mental and Physical Health among Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence in Israel

This study is one of the first studies to examine the relationships between religious coping and indices of mental and physical health among female survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). This investigation utilized a cross-sectional design and a sample of 140 Israeli female survivors of IPV, from different religious backgrounds. Participants were asked to provide demographic information and complete measures of religious coping, depressive symptoms, generalized anxiety, loneliness, and perceived poor physical health. As expected, positive correlations were observed between negative religious coping and all outcome measures. Contrary to expectations, positive religious coping was related to none of the outcome measures. The findings suggest that overall religious ways of coping constitute more of a burden than a helpful resource in the coping process of female survivors of IPV. Yet additional studies that test the intricate relationships between religious coping and health and well-being among this population are needed to reach clear-cut conclusions in this regard.