Do spirituality and religiousness matter? exploring the effects of religiousness and spirituality on traumatic stress symptoms.
Date
2010-11-09
Authors
Govender, Yushika
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Abstract
South Africa has a very high trauma exposure rate with reported lifetime estimates as high as
94%. Estimates of posttraumatic distress in this population have been as high as 26%,
suggesting that a large portion of the population may be at risk for PTSD. Research suggests that
certain factors, such as cognitive styles or beliefs, may buffer the effects of trauma and reduce
the risk of developing PTSD. Literature has explored religiousness and spirituality but has
yielded mixed findings. The present study aimed to explore whether or not religiousness and
spirituality independently function as moderators of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in the
South African population. A secondary aim was to explore the nature of the relation between
spirituality and religiousness as some proponents have conceptualised them as synonymous,
while others assert that they are different constructs. Results suggested that while religiousness
was not a moderator of PTSS in the present sample, spirituality was a significant moderator. In
addition, correlation analyses suggested that religiousness and spirituality may be two distinct
constructs and perhaps should not be operationalised as synonymous. Implications of the
findings and directions for future research are discussed.