Coping with Economic Stressors: Religious and Non-Religious Strategies for Managing Psychological Distress

The current economic downturn has increased concerns over job insecurity and the potential negative effects of job insecurity and other economic stressors for individuals. While there is a great deal of research on traditional (non-religious) methods of coping with work stress (e.g., Latack, 1986), there has been little research concerning the impact of religious methods of coping on mitigating the effects of work-related stressors. This is true even though a significant amount of research has demonstrated that religious coping methods are effective at reducing negative effects of a wide variety of stressors. Specifically, the current study looked at the effectiveness of religious and non-religious coping strategies when dealing with economic stressors. Seeking Support from Clergy or Members is the only significant moderator of the relationship between job insecurity and psychological distress. In addition, both non-religious and religious coping strategies account for unique variance in psychological distress. However, non-religious coping strategies explain more unique variance than religious coping strategies. Future directions for research and limitations are discussed