Using Religious Symbols and Religious Teachings to Cope during Times of Adversity

Abstract

This qualitative descriptive study explored how devout Catholics described how they used religious symbols and teachings to cope with personal challenges in southeastern Virginia in the United States of America. The sample included the faithful, who regularly used religious symbols and teachings and actively worshipped in a church building or remotely at least once a month. The theoretical foundation was the Symbolic Interactionism Theory (SIT). The instruments to collect the data included a questionnaire and an interview. The data collection incorporated demographics, descriptive statistics, and the descriptive data used in thematic analysis. The findings from this study provided insights into how the participants demonstrated the process of ascribing, understanding, and interpreting the meaning of using religious symbols and teachings in times of adversity. We found that using the sensory experiences had a significant impact on the participants to help them cope with personal challenges. Based on the findings, we suggested further studies to measure the effects of religious symbols and teachings and further explore the role of religiosity in mental health and psychological well-being, particularly the relationships between coping and the constructs as they are related to religiosity.