Abstract
Psychologists sometimes minimize important resources such as religion and spiritual beliefs for coping with bereavement. Alienation of therapeutic psychology from religious values contrasts to professional and public interest in religious experience and commitment. A supportive viewpoint has come about partially as a result of recognizing important values which clinicians have found absent in many of their clients. Until spiritual belief systems become integrated into the work of clinicians, clients may not be fully integrative in coping with loss. The key finding of this study was that individuals who participated in Christian and secular support groups showed no statistically significant difference in their mean endorsement of negative criteria on the BHS, and no statistically significant difference for their mean score endorsement of positive criteria on the RCOPE. However, a Christian-oriented approach was no less effective than a psychological-oriented one. In both groups, a spiritual connection to a specific or generalized higher power was frequently identified which clients ascribed to facilitating the management of their coping.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Bearon, L., & Koenig, H. (1990). Religious cognitions and the use of prayer in health and illness. The Gerontologist, 30, 249–253. doi:10.1159/000117356.
Beck, A. (1997). Depression: Clinical, experimental, and theoretical aspects. New York: Harper and Row.
Beck, A., & Steer, R. (1988). Beck hopelessness scale. New York: The Psychological Corporation.
Bergin, A. E. (1980). Psychotherapy and religious values. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48(1), 95–105. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.48.1.95.
Croog, S. H., & Levine, S. (1972). Religious identity and responses to serious illness: A report on health participants. Social Science and Medicine, 6, 17–32. doi:10.1016/0037-7856(72)90004-2.
Fitchett, G., Rybarczyk, B., DeMarco, G., & Nicholas, J. (1999). The role of religion in medical rehabilitation outcomes: A longitudinal study. Rehabilitation Psychology, 44(4), 333–353. doi:10.1037/0090-5550.44.4.333.
Heimberg, L. (1961). Development and construct validation of an inventory for the measurement of future time perspective. Unpublished masters’ thesis. Vanderbilt, Tennessee: Vanderbilt University.
Koenig, H. G. (2001). Religion and mental health: Evidence for an association. International Review of Psychiatry (Abingdon, England), 13(2), 67. doi:10.1080/09540260124661.
Koenig, H. G., McCullough, M. E., & Larson, D. B. (2001). Handbook of religion and health. New York: Oxford.
Koenig, H. G., Pargament, K., & Nielsen, J. (1998). Religious coping and health status in medically ill hospitalized older adults. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 186(9), 513–521. doi:10.1097/00005053-199809000-00001.
Lieberman, M., & Videka-Sherman, L. (1986). The impact of self-help groups on the mental health of widows and widowers. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 56, 435–449.
London, P. (1964). The modes and morals of psychotherapy. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.
Marmar, C. R., Horowitz, M. J., Weiss, D. S., Wilner, N. R., & Kaltreider, N. B. (1988). A controlled trial of brief psychotherapy and mutual-help group treatment of conjugal bereavement. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 145, 203–209.
Mellinger, G., & Balter, M. (1983). Collaborative project (GMIRSB Report). Washington, DC: National Institute of Mental Health.
Pargament, K. I. (1997). The psychology of religion and coping: Theory research and practice. New York, NY: Guilford Publications.
Pargament, K. I., Ensing, D. S., Falgout, K., Olsen, H., Reilly, B., Van Haitsma, K., et al. (1990). God help me: (I) Religious coping efforts as predictors of the outcomes to significant negative life events. American Journal of Community Psychology, 18(6), 794. doi:10.1007/BF00938065.
Pargament, K. I., Koenig, H. G., & Perez, L. M. (2000). The many methods of religious coping: Development and initial validation of the RCOPE. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 56(4), 519–543. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-4679(200004)56:4<519::AID-JCLP6>3.0.CO;2-1 .
Pargament, K. I., Smith, B. W., Koenig, H. G., & Perez, L. M. (1998a). Patterns of positive and negative religious coping with major life stressors. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 3, 710–724. doi:10.2307/1388152.
Pargament, K. I., Zinnbauer, B. J., Scott, A. B., Butter, E. M., Zerowin, I., & Stanik, P. (1998b). Red flags and religious coping: Identifying some religious warning signals among people in crisis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 54, 77–89. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-4679(199801)54:1<77::AID-JCLP9>3.0.CO;2-R .
Parkes, K. R. (1980). Occupational stress among student nurses: A comparison of medical and surgical wards. Nursing Times, 6(76), 117–119.
Peppers, Y. (2005). Church attendance and acknowledgement of depression in African American adults. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Adler School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, Illinois.
Pruyser, P. (1990). Hope and despair. In R. J. Hunter (Ed.), Dictionary of pastoral care and counseling (pp. 532–534). Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Raphael, B., & Dobson, M. (1983). The anatomy of bereavement. New York: Basic Books.
Reissman, F. (1965). The helper-therapy principle. Social Work, 10, 27–32.
Sanders, C. M. (1992). Surviving grief-and learning to live again. New York: Wiley.
Spiegel, D., & Yalom, I. (1978). A support group for dying patients. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 28(2), 21–32.
Stotland, E. (1969). The psychology of hope. San Francisco: Jossey, Bass.
Strupp, H. H., Hadley, S. W., & Gomes-Schwartz, B. (1977). Psychotherapy for better or worse: The problem of negative effects. New York: Aronson.
Yalom, I. D. (1975). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy (2nd ed.). NY: Basic Books.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goodman, H., Stone, M.H. The Efficacy of Adult Christian Support Groups in Coping with the Death of a Significant Loved One. J Relig Health 48, 305–316 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-008-9201-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-008-9201-2