Religiosity, spirituality and negative religious coping: underlying issues and associations with health

Religiosity and spirituality (R/S) may positively interfere with various dimensions of human existence and are an integral part of many people’s lives. However, this interference may also be negative in some aspects, e.g., regarding mental and physical health or behavioural outcomes. More research is needed to better understand this negative interference and the associations of R/S with health outcomes and the pathways contributing to these links. Therefore, this thesis aimed to assess the associations of R/S, negative religious coping (NRC) and religious conspiracy theories (RCT) with insecure attachment in childhood and adulthood, as well as the potential impact of R/S on mental health and vaccination attitudes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The results of this work showed that childhood trauma and insecure adult relationship are associated with R/S, images of God and a higher rate of NRC. Therefore, attachment insecurity may be one of the roots of a negative perception of God, which may consequently become one of the underlying issues of maladaptive religious strategies. We also found that R/S, NRC and religious fundamentalism are associated with the emergence of RCT regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccination. Consequently, R/S may affect the behaviour during the pandemic and may also affect the process of decision-making about whether to accept the vaccine. Thus, this thesis supports the connection of R/S with other areas of life and provides a better understanding of the factors that might influence the development and outcomes of negatively conceived R/S.