Journal of Religion & Health最新文献

{"title":"The Function of Religious Rituals in Psychological Coping and Motivational Meaning-Making Among Professional Football Players: Evidence from Turkey.","authors":"Emre Uysal, Mehmet Haşim Akgül","doi":"10.1007/s10943-026-02756-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-026-02756-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigates how professional football players in Turkey experience and interpret religious rituals in relation to motivational meaning-making and psychological coping. Employing an exploratory qualitative research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 25 professional male football players competing in the Turkish Super League during the 2024-2025 season. Interviews were conducted in Turkish via online video-conferencing platforms and analyzed using thematic analysis. Participants described their religious rituals as active psychological coping mechanisms for managing performance anxiety, stress, and uncertainty inherent in elite sport, extending beyond mere expressions of faith. Specifically, they characterized these rituals as emotional regulators that fostered a sense of control, self-efficacy, and psychological readiness. Faith was also reported as a source of spiritual resilience, particularly during career crises such as injury and loss of form. A notable finding is that participants largely avoided institutional religious accessories, instead attributing personal significance to secular objects connected to meaningful relationships and life experiences. The accounts gathered here suggest that religious rituals operate as psychological resources through which athletes construct motivational meaning and prepare themselves mentally, within the culturally specific context of Turkish professional football.</p>","PeriodicalId":48054,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religion & Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148799706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spiritual and Religious Beliefs, Behaviors, and Struggles in Relation to Death Anxiety: Evidence from a U.S. Nationwide Probability Sample.","authors":"Gina L Scorpiniti, Gail Ironson","doi":"10.1007/s10943-026-02762-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-026-02762-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Death anxiety is associated with adverse psychological and health outcomes, yet findings regarding the role of religiosity and spirituality (R/S) as protective or risk factors remain mixed. Prior research has relied on convenience samples, combined disparate R/S constructs, and rarely tested nonlinear associations. This study examined associations between death anxiety and multiple R/S facets in a nationwide probability sample of 3,010 U.S. adults. Regression models tested associations between R/S predictors and death anxiety and tested moderation by age and chronic illness, controlling for demographics, meaning in life, social support, anxiety, and depression. All belief predictors (afterlife beliefs, R/S centrality, R/S peace, and positive view of God) showed curvilinear inverted U-shaped patterns: strong worldviews, both religious and secular, were linked to lower death anxiety, while ambivalence was associated with the highest death anxiety. Regarding behaviors, Bible reading was linearly protective; however, church attendance and prayer were protective only at threshold levels (multiple times per month and week, respectively). R/S struggles (insecure attachment to God and negative view of God) were consistently detrimental. Age moderated several relationships, with R/S centrality, peace, positive view of God, and prayer becoming increasingly protective in later life, while avoidant attachment to God became more harmful. Chronic illness moderated only positive God views such that benevolent God beliefs became more protective with increasing illness burden. These findings clarify inconsistencies in the existing literature and suggest that clarity in one's worldview may be an important target for intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":48054,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religion & Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148799729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Concealed Loneliness: A Tillichian Diagnosis of the Algorithmic Age and Its Implications for Health.","authors":"Wenzhu Li, Shangwen Dong","doi":"10.1007/s10943-026-02755-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-026-02755-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Loneliness constitutes a recognized public health crisis, associated with a 26% increase in premature mortality risk and rising rates across all demographic groups despite unprecedented levels of digital social connectivity. This paradox-intensifying loneliness alongside maximized connection-has resisted adequate explanation within behavioral science frameworks, which consistently document small and transient effects for connection-augmenting interventions. This article argues that this explanatory deficit requires analysis at the ontological level and proposes Paul Tillich's theological framework as equipped to provide such analysis. Drawing on Tillich's Systematic Theology, The Eternal Now, and The Meaning of Health, alongside current empirical literature on loneliness and digital media use, this article develops a structural diagnosis of what it terms concealed loneliness: a qualitatively distinct form of loneliness produced and masked by algorithmic hyper-connectivity. Tillich's ontological polarity of individualization and participation, his account of self-integration and centeredness, and his four-term topology of solitude, communion, loneliness, and collectivity together explain why the cycle of loneliness and problematic digital use is self-sealing. Algorithmic culture systematically dismantles solitude-the structural precondition of genuine communion-at four mutually reinforcing layers: temporal, constitutive, relational, and systemic. The density of connection simultaneously masks this deprivation, rendering the condition unrecognizable from within the system that produces it. The framework reorients intervention logic from connection augmentation toward solitude restoration, identifies concealed loneliness as a diagnostic blind spot undetected by standard instruments, and specifies healthcare chaplaincy as the site of disciplinary engagement with the ontological dimension that behavioral intervention does not reach.</p>","PeriodicalId":48054,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religion & Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148799615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lifetime Exposure to Suicide and Current Use of Suicide Prevention Competencies Among Catholic Clergy in Nigeria: A Multidimensional Structural Analysis.","authors":"Oluchi Miracle Osondu, Lawrence Ejike Ugwu, Chijioke Kenneth Ayogu, Nwando Maryann Morah, Doris Chinelo Eyisi, Obinna Osita Ike, Jennifer E Johnson, JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji","doi":"10.1007/s10943-026-02754-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-026-02754-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite the evidence of clergy encounters with both those at risk and survivors of suicide, research examining suicide exposure and the clergy's use of suicide prevention competencies remains limited. We examined the associations between lifetime exposure to suicide (exposure to suicidal communication, direct exposure to suicide attempts/deaths, and indirect exposure to suicide attempts/deaths) and current use of suicide prevention competencies (ministerial approaches to postvention, nonjudgmental attitude toward people affected by suicide, confidence and knowledge in talking with a suicidal person, and pastoral care with a suicidal person). We also investigated whether suicide prevention training moderates these relationships. Participants were 336 Roman Catholic priests in Nigeria who completed the Suicidal Behaviour Exposure Scale and the Measure of Suicide Prevention Clergy Competencies, including an indicator assessing whether participants had received any formal training. Results showed that lifetime exposure to suicide was associated with the use of suicide prevention competencies among priests without formal suicide prevention training, but not among those with training. The observed moderation effect was more nuanced when we examined the dimensions of exposure in relation to the domains of competency use. Network analyses showed that, among the three exposure domains, exposure to suicidal communication was most prominent. On the clergy competency use side, pastoral care for a suicidal person demonstrated the strongest centrality. Integrating structured suicide prevention training with pastoral experience is therefore important for ensuring consistent and effective responses to individuals at risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":48054,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religion & Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148799636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychometric Evaluation of the Korean Version of the Ethical Sensitivity Scale.","authors":"Eun Ho Park, Jun Yeon Lee, Mihyun Park","doi":"10.1007/s10943-026-02761-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-026-02761-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Ethical Sensitivity Scale (ESS), utilizing secondary data collected from 327 Korean Catholic seminarians. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the retention of the seven-factor structure inherent in the original ESS, indicating an acceptable model fit. Items with insufficient standardized factor loadings were eliminated to optimize the model fit, resulting in a revised version of the scale. The revised ESS demonstrated strong overall reliability (Cronbach's alpha, α ≥ .80), with each subscale achieving the established threshold for internal consistency (α ≥ .70). These results provide strong evidence for the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the ESS, supporting its usefulness in research on ethical sensitivity. The Korean version of the ESS may be useful for educators in designing moral education programs that address students' ethical sensitivity across diverse academic disciplines. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution because this study relied on secondary data, limiting the assessment of some psychometric properties, and further validation in independent and more diverse samples is warranted.</p>","PeriodicalId":48054,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religion & Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148799652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Religious and Spiritual Practices as Complementary Support for Biomedical Care Among Christian and Muslim Filipino Adults.","authors":"Jomar S Tianio, Omar R Manlapas","doi":"10.1007/s10943-026-02753-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-026-02753-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Religion and spirituality may shape how patients interpret illness and engage with treatment, yet limited comparative research has examined these processes among Christian and Muslim Filipino adults. This qualitative study explored how religious and spiritual practices supported participants receiving biomedical care. Sixty adults aged 35 years and older, comprising 30 Christians and 30 Muslims from Rizal Province, Philippines, participated from January to May 2026. Data were gathered through 45 face-to-face semi-structured interviews and 15 written qualitative responses submitted through Google Forms. Data were analyzed using comparative reflexive thematic analysis guided by Religious Coping Theory. Findings showed that participants incorporated prayer, sacred texts, communal worship, and religious support into medication routines, consultations, counseling, chemotherapy, dialysis, rehabilitation, and chronic disease management. Spiritual practices provided emotional stability, meaning, patience, social connection, and motivation to continue treatment. Families, faith communities, spiritual leaders, and respectful healthcare professionals strengthened this relationship through practical assistance, religious guidance, and supportive communication. Christian and Muslim practices differed in theological meaning and ritual expression but demonstrated overlapping coping functions, indicating functional convergence without religious interchangeability. Participants distinguished spiritual support from clinical treatment. Persistent symptoms, delayed improvement, and expectations of immediate healing occasionally produced disappointment or spiritual struggle, leading participants to recalibrate healing as endurance and acceptance rather than guaranteed cure. The findings suggest that spirituality can complement biomedical care, although the study does not establish that religious practices caused clinical improvement or accelerated recovery. Person-centered healthcare should recognize patients' spiritual resources while preserving evidence-based treatment, autonomy, and religious diversity.</p>","PeriodicalId":48054,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religion & Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148799682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Global Research Trends on Spirituality and Religion in Schizophrenia and Psychosis: A 30-Year Bibliometric Analysis.","authors":"Fandro Armando Tasijawa, Ah Yusuf, Rizki Fitryasari, Joan Herly Herwawan","doi":"10.1007/s10943-026-02763-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-026-02763-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spirituality and religion are essential components of holistic care, which encompasses psychopathology, treatment adherence, recovery, and social integration. In this study, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research on spirituality and religion in patients with schizophrenia and psychosis published between 1997 and 2026 was conducted using the Web of Science database. This study aimed to examine publication trends, citation metrics, document profiles, country productivity, and frequently used keywords within this research domain. The data were analyzed using VOSviewer, Web of Science analytical tools, and Microsoft Excel. A total of 924 documents were initially identified over the 30-year period; however, only 491 documents met the criteria to be included in the final analysis. The findings indicate that as of March 13, 2026, these publications had generated 9,751 citations with an h-index of 49. Most publications were research articles (84.73%) that were primarily classified as psychiatry (55.19%) and written in English (94.30%). The most productive author in this field is Sylvia Mohr, with a notable concentration of authors affiliated with Switzerland. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed dominant terms such as schizophrenia, psychosis, spirituality, and mental health. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the intellectual structure of research on spirituality and religion in schizophrenia and psychosis and highlights emerging research directions and opportunities for integrating spiritual dimensions into mental health practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":48054,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religion & Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148799673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coherence, Capability, and Care: Faith-Based Health Engagement and Well-Being in the Philippines.","authors":"Omar R Manlapas, Jomar S Tianio, Jaybee S Cabañeros","doi":"10.1007/s10943-026-02757-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-026-02757-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This qualitative study explored how Filipino adults from Roman Catholic, other Christian, Muslim, and Indigenous Filipino spiritual practice communities described faith-based health engagement in relation to perceived physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Informed by the Salutogenic Model and the Capability Approach, the study examined how participants understood religious and spiritual practices in everyday life, negotiated these practices alongside biomedical and traditional forms of care, and experienced family and faith-community support during health-related challenges. Forty Filipino adults participated in semi-structured interviews conducted in Filipino. Data were analyzed using a codebook-informed thematic approach guided by Braun and Clarke's six-phase framework. Faith-based engagement was associated not only with emotional regulation and resilience but also with bodily endurance, morally valued conduct, relational support, and cultural or ecological grounding. Participants described faith-based and biomedical resources as related but non-interchangeable. Spiritual, communal, and traditional practices were valued for emotional stability, meaning, moral orientation, cultural continuity, and everyday coping, whereas biomedical services were regarded as necessary for persistent symptoms, injury, serious illness, and bodily risk. This context-dependent differentiation reflected a severity-sensitive logic of care. Coping, coherence, and valued functioning were also described as relationally supported through family assistance, faith-community involvement, practical care, shared interpretations of adversity, and access to medical services. The study contributes a culturally situated account of religion and health by showing how participants negotiated spiritual, communal, traditional, and biomedical resources within everyday Philippine life.</p>","PeriodicalId":48054,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religion & Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148765894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Substance Use Disorders in the Orthodox Jewish Community: A Scoping Review.","authors":"Noam Schechter, Isaac Schechter","doi":"10.1007/s10943-026-02752-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-026-02752-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Substance use disorders (SUDs) represent a growing public health concern, yet research on these conditions within religious and culturally insular populations remains limited. The Orthodox Jewish community offers a distinctive context for examining how religious norms, stigma, and communal structures influence substance use and recovery. This scoping review synthesizes existing empirical literature on SUDs in Orthodox Jewish populations to identify key findings, methodological patterns, and research gaps. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, PubMed was searched using the MeSH terms (\"Jews*\" OR \"Judaism*\") AND (\"Alcoholism*\" OR \"Substance-Related Disorders*\"). A total of 130 studies were screened, and 11 met inclusion criteria, from across USA, Israel, and the UK. This study found that most studies (N = 6) were qualitative, with small samples and limited generalizability. Quantitative research was scarce and rarely distinguished among Orthodox subgroups. Early research focused more on alcohol use; more recent work examined illicit drugs and treatment barriers. Thus, this study concludes that empirical research on SUDs within Orthodox Jewish populations remains sparse. Findings underscore the need for quantitative, culturally sensitive studies and interventions that account for the complex interplay between faith, stigma, and help-seeking.</p>","PeriodicalId":48054,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religion & Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148764273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Medical AI and Human Dignity: A Catholic Normative Ethical Framework in Light of Magnifica Humanitas.","authors":"Anton Heinrich L Rennesland, Joshua Cedric Aquino Gundayao","doi":"10.1007/s10943-026-02759-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-026-02759-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping healthcare through advances in prediction and personalization, yet these developments also raise questions that are not merely technical but also are moral and religious. This article offers a normative framework for Catholic engagement with medical AI in light of Leo XIV's Magnifica Humanitas (2026). Drawing on the encyclical's critique of the \"Babel Syndrome,\" we argue that medical AI is dehumanizing in two principal ways: first, through an idolatry of optimization that reduces the person to a data source; and second, through an illusion of algorithmic perfection that treats vulnerability and finitude as technical defects to be overcome. In response, we propose a roadmap grounded in Catholic social teaching and structured around three principles: non-substitution, algorithmic transparency and accountability, and solidarity with the preferential option for the poor. We further show how these principles deepen and reinterpret the bioethical principles of autonomy, beneficence and non-maleficence, and justice in AI-mediated care. Finally, we draw out concrete implications for healthcare institutions and relevant stakeholders. Rather than rejecting AI, we argue that Catholic healthcare ethics should further uphold the alignment of technological innovation to the dignity of the human person, the common good, and the healing vocation of medicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":48054,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Religion & Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148762376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}