IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v7y2023i2p111-121.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Relationship between Religion, Spirituality and Mental Health in Rwandan Refugees: A Cross-Sectional Study

Author

Listed:
  • Victor Mwanamwambwa

    (Department of Psychology, St. Dominic’s Major Seminary, Zambia)

Abstract

Studies on coping efforts among traumatised and distressed refugees prioritise other coping mechanisms, whereas religion and spirituality are not considered. However, studies have indicated that religiosity and spiritual coping have been linked with adaptive psychological results. Recently, the relationship between religion/spirituality and mental health has been the topic of growing interest in refugee studies. A cross-sectional quantitative research study was conducted to examine the relationship between religion/spirituality and mental health. The results suggest that there is a positive correlation between religion/ spirituality and mental health. The General Health Questionnaire- 28 (GHQ-28) and Spiritual Experience Index- Revised were used to assess the relationship. The participants included older Rwandan refugees living in Lusaka, Zambia (N=267). Religion and spirituality are essential elements that should be considered in refugees’ studies to enhance a comprehensive understanding of an individual, considering their needs. Mental health specialists should consider moulding coping frameworks that include religion and spirituality to improve well-being in refugees.

Suggested Citation

  • Victor Mwanamwambwa, 2023. "The Relationship between Religion, Spirituality and Mental Health in Rwandan Refugees: A Cross-Sectional Study," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(2), pages 111-121, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:7:y:2023:i:2:p:111-121
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-7-issue-2/111-121.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/articles/the-relationship-between-religion-spirituality-and-mental-health-in-rwandan-refugees-a-cross-sectional-study/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Juliane Piasseschi de Bernardin Gonçalves & Giancarlo Lucchetti & Paulo Rossi Menezes & Homero Vallada, 2017. "Complementary religious and spiritual interventions in physical health and quality of life: A systematic review of randomized controlled clinical trials," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-21, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yiyi Chen & Jiaqi Lu & Canghai Guan & Shiyang Zhang & Spencer De Li, 2022. "In the Shadow of the Casinos: The Relationship between Religion and Health in Macau," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-18, May.
    2. Marcelo Borges & Giancarlo Lucchetti & Frederico C. Leão & Homero Vallada & Mario F. P. Peres, 2021. "Religious Affiliations Influence Health-Related and General Decision Making: A Brazilian Nationwide Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-9, March.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:7:y:2023:i:2:p:111-121. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Pawan Verma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.