Physical Health Problem Intrusion Linking Religious Attributions to Marital Satisfaction in Survivors of the 2004 Tsunami

The impact of the 2004 tsunami that struck East Asia on Buddhist, Sri Lankan mothers was investigated in this study. More specifically, the relationship between attributing the 2004 tsunami to Karma and marital satisfaction was examined in a sample of 163 women, 3 years after the Disaster. Mediation by persisting physical health problems, on the relationship between attributing the tsunami to Karma and martial satisfaction, after controlling for mental health status and income before the tsunami was also tested. Karma attributions were not directly associated with marital satisfaction. However, an indirect path positively linking Karma attributions with persistent physical health challenges, and negatively linking physical health challenges to marital satisfaction was observed. Using Hobfoll’s (1989) conservation of resources (COR) model, implications of physical health challenges for disaster survivors and attributions endorsing an external locus of control are discussed.