Women are more vulnerable to mental health problems than men after migration, but little is known about the influence of religiosity/spirituality on their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to explore religiosity/spirituality, in relationships with various domains of quality of life, among female Eritrean refugees staying in Norwegian asylum centres.
Method:
A questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics was used together with the World Health OrganizationQuality of Life – Spirituality, Religiosity and Personal Beliefs (WHOQOL-SRPB) questionnaire, which assesses religiosity/spirituality and domains of quality of life. A total of 63 adult female Eritrean refugees who had been granted asylum but were still living in asylum reception centres located in southern and central Norway participated.
Results:
Religiosity/spirituality was independently associated with psychological quality of life (B = 0.367, p < .001), level of independence (B = 0.184, p = .028), social quality of life (B = 0.500, p = .003), environmental quality of life (B = 0.323, p < .001) and overall quality of life (B = 0.213, p < .001), but not with physical quality of life (B = 0.056, p = .679). There were no significant differences between religious affiliations on religiosity/spirituality or quality of life measures.
Conclusion:
Consistent with previous research, this study highlights the correlation between religiosity/spirituality and overall quality of life. We recommend a longitudinal follow-up study of similar populations, after they are resettled and integrated into their host countries, to understand the associations between quality of life and religiosity/spirituality over time.
AbrahamR.LienL.HanssenI. (2018). Coping, resilience and posttraumatic growth among Eritrean female refugees living in Norwegian asylum reception centres: A qualitative study. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 64(4), 359–366. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764018765237
2.
AggerI.IgrejaV.KiehleR.PolatinP. (2012). Testimony ceremonies in Asia: Integrating spirituality in testimonial therapy for torture survivors in India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and the Philippines. Transcultural Psychiatry, 49(3–4), 568–589. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461512447138
3.
BaiM.LazenbyM. (2015). A systematic review of associations between spiritual well-being and quality of life at the scale and factor levels in studies among patients with cancer. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 18(3), 286–298. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2014.0189
4.
BaillietC. (2007). Examining sexual violence in the military within the context of Eritrean asylum claims presented in Norway. International Journal of Refugee Law, 19(3), 471–510.
5.
BairdM. (2012). Well-being in refugee women experiencing cultural transition. Advances in Nursing Science, 35(3), 249–263.
6.
BanzhafE.de la BarreraF.KindlerA.Reyes-PaeckecS.SchlinkaU.WelzJ.KabischaS. (2014). A conceptual framework for integrated analysis of environmental quality and quality of life. Ecological Indicators, 45, 664–668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.06.002
7.
BhugraD.RuizP. (2011). Editorial. Mental health services research: Challenges and contexts. International Review of Psychiatry, 23(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.3109/09540261.2011.546075
8.
CarlsonB. E.CacciatoreJ.KlimekB. (2012). A risk and resilience perspective on unaccompanied refugee minors. Social Work, 57(3), 259–269. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/sws003
9.
CarlssonJ. M.OlsenD. R.MortensenE. L.KastrupM. (2006). Mental health and health-related quality of life: A 10-year follow-up of tortured refugees. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 194(10), 725–731. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nmd.0000243079.52138.b7
10.
ChaayaM.SibaiA. M.FayadR.El-RoueihebZ. (2007). Religiosity and depression in older people: Evidence from underprivileged refugee and non-refugee communities in Lebanon. Aging & Mental Health, 11(1), 37–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607860600735812
11.
DupontH.KaplanC. D.VerbraeckH. T.BraamR. V.van de WijngaartG. F. (2005). Killing time: Drug and alcohol problems among asylum seekers in the Netherlands. International Journal of Drug Policy, 16(1), 27–36.
12.
ErikssonM. (2016). The sense of coherence in the salutogenic model of health. In MittelmarkM. B.SagyS.ErikssonM.BauerG. F.PelikanJ. M.LindstromB.EspnesG. A. (Eds.), The handbook of salutogenesis (pp. 91–96). Springer e-book.
13.
FalsettiS. A.ResickP. A.DavisJ. L. (2003). Changes in religious beliefs following trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 16(4), 391–398. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024422220163
14.
GostečnikC.Repič SlavičT.LukekS.CvetekR. (2014). Trauma and religiousness. Journal of Religion and Health, 53(3), 690–701. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9665-y
15.
GozdziakE.LongK. C. (2005). Suffering and resiliency of refugee women: An annotated bibliography 1980-2005. Georgetown University, Institute for the Study of International Migration (ISIM).
16.
HackneyC.SandersG. S. (2003). Religiosity and mental health: A meta-analysis of recent studies. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 42(1), 43–55.
17.
HepnerT. (2003). Religion, nationalism, and transnational civil society in the Eritrean diaspora. Global Studies in Culture and Power, 10(3), 269–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/10702890390228874
18.
HermanssonA. C.TimpkaT.ThybergM. (2002). The mental health of war-wounded refugees: An 8-year follow-up. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 190(6), 374–380. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005053-200206000-00005
19.
IsmailZ.DeshmukhS. (2012). Religiosity and psychological wellbeing. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(11), 20–28.
20.
Israel-CohenY.KaplanO.NoyS.Kashy-RosenbaumG. (2016). Religiosity as a moderator of self-efficacy and social support in predicting traumatic stress among combat soldiers. Journal of Religion and Health, 55(4), 1160–1171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0187-x
21.
JimH. S.PustejovskyJ. E.ParkC. L.DanhauerS. C.ShermanA. C.FitchettG.MerluzziT. V.MunozA. R.GeorgeL.SnyderM. A.SalsmanJ. M. (2015). Religion, spirituality, and physical health in cancer patients: A meta-analysis. Cancer, 121(21), 3760–3768. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.29353
22.
JonesJ. M.St PeterJ. R.FernandesS. J.HerrenkohlT. I.KostermanR.HawkinsJ. D. (2011). Ethnic and gender variation in religious involvement: Patterns of expression in young adulthood. Review of Religious Research, 53(2), 207–225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13644-011-0006-5
23.
KalraG.ChristodoulouG.JenkinsR.TsipasV.ChristodoulouN.Lecic-TosevskiD.MezzichJ.BhugraD.AssociationE. P. (2012). Mental health promotion: Guidance and strategies. European Psychiatry, 27(2), 81–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2011.10.001
24.
KoenigH. G. (2001). Religion and medicine IV: Religion, physical health, and clinical implications. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 31(3), 321–336. https://doi.org/10.2190/X28K-GDAY-75QV-G69N
25.
KrauseN. (2012). Feelings of gratitude toward god among older whites, older African Americans, and older Mexican Americans. Research on Aging, 34(2), 156–173. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027511417884
26.
MarcianoH.KimhiS.EshelY. (2019). Predictors of individual, community and national resiliencies of Israeli Jews and Arabs. International Journal of Psychology, 55(4), 553–561. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12636
27.
MaselkoJ.KubzanskyL. D. (2006). Gender differences in religious practices, spiritual experiences and health: Results from the US General Social Survey. Social Science & Medicine, 62(11), 2848–2860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.11.008
28.
MatthewsD. A.McCulloughM. E.LarsonD. B.KoenigH. G.SwyersJ. P.MilanoM. G. (1998). Religious commitment and health status: A review of the research and implications for family medicine. Archives of Family Medicine, 7(2), 118–124. https://doi.org/10.1001/archfami.7.2.118
29.
MeintsS. M.MosherC.RandK. L.Ashburn-NardoL.HirshA. T. (2018). An experimental investigation of the relationships among race, prayer, and pain. Scandinavian Journal of Pain, 18(3), 545–553. https://doi.org/10.1515/sjpain-2018-0040
30.
MeyersJ. L.BrownQ.GrantB. F.HasinD. (2017). Religiosity, race/ethnicity, and alcohol use behaviors in the United States. Psychological Medicine, 47(1), 103–114. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291716001975
31.
MuellerP. S.PlevakD. J.RummansT. A. (2001). Religious involvement, spirituality, and medicine: Implications for clinical practice. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 76(12), 1225–1235. https://doi.org/10.4065/76.12.1225
32.
NordangerD. (2007). Coping with loss and bereavement in post-war Tigray, Ethiopia. Transcultural Psychiatry, 44(4), 545–565. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461507083896
33.
PandyaS. P. (2018). Spirituality for mental health and well-being of adult refugees in Europe. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 20(6), 1396–1403. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0717-6
34.
PanziniR. G.MosqueiroB. P.ZimpelR. R.BandeiraD. R.RochaN. S.FleckM. P. (2017). Quality-of-life and spirituality. International Review of Psychiatry, 29(3), 263–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2017.1285553
35.
ParkC. L.SmithP. H.LeeS. Y.MazureC. M.McKeeS. A.HoffR. (2017). Positive and negative religious/spiritual coping and combat exposure as predictors of posttraumatic stress and perceived growth in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 9(1), 13–20. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000086
36.
PeresM. F. P.KameiH. H.ToboP. R.LucchettiG. (2018). Mechanisms behind religiosity and spirituality’s effect on mental health, quality of life and well-being. Journal of Religion and Health, 57(5), 1842–1855. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0400-6
37.
PescosolidoB. A.GeorgiannaS. (1989). Durkheim, suicide, and religion: Toward a network theory of suicide. American Sociological Review, 54(1), 33–48.
38.
PosseltM.EatonH.FergusonM.KeeganD.ProcterN. (2019). Enablers of psychological well-being for refugees and asylum seekers living in transitional countries: A systematic review. Health & Social Care in the Community, 27(4), 808–823. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12680
39.
PriebeS.MatanovA.Janković GavrilovićJ.McCroneP.LjubotinaD.KnezevićG.KucukalićA.FranciskovićT.SchützwohlM. (2009). Consequences of untreated posttraumatic stress disorder following war in former Yugoslavia: Morbidity, subjective quality of life, and care costs. Croatian Medical Journal, 50(5), 465–475. https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2009.50.465
40.
SchaeferL. M.HowellK. H.SchwartzL. E.BottomleyJ. S.CrossnineC. B. (2018). A concurrent examination of protective factors associated with resilience and posttraumatic growth following childhood victimization. Child Abuse & Neglect, 85, 17–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.08.019
41.
SeemanT. E.DubinL. F.SeemanM. (2003). Religiosity/spirituality and health: A critical review of the evidence for biological pathways. American Psychologist, 58(1), 53–63.
42.
ShahabiL.PowellL. H.MusickM. A.PargamentK. I.ThoresenC. E.WilliamsD.UnderwoodL.OryM. A. (2002). Correlates of self-perceptions of spirituality in American adults. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 24(1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15324796ABM2401_07
43.
Shakespeare-FinchJ.WickmanK. (2010). Adaptation of Sudanese refugees in an Australian context: Investigating helps and hindrances. Journal of International Migration, 48(1), 23–46. https://doi.org/org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.2009.00561.x
44.
ShannonD. K.OakesK. E.ScheersN. J.RichardsonF. J.StillsA. B. (2013). Religious beliefs as moderator of exposure to violence in African American adolescents. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 5(3), 172.
45.
SimmelinkJ.LightfootE.DubeA.BlevinsJ.LumT. (2013). Understanding the health beliefs and practices of East African refugees. American Journal of Health Behavior, 37(2), 155–161. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.37.2.2
46.
SteelZ.CheyT.SiloveD.MarnaneC.BryantR. A.van OmmerenM. (2009). Association of torture and other potentially traumatic events with mental health outcomes among populations exposed to mass conflict and displacement: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA, 302(5), 537–549. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2009.1132
47.
Ten KateJ.de KosterW.van der WaalJ. (2017). The effect of religiosity on life satisfaction in a secularized context: Assessing the relevance of believing and belonging. Review of Religious Research, 59(2), 135–155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13644-016-0282-1
48.
TeodorescuD. S.SiqvelandJ.HeirT.HauffE.Wentzel-LarsenT.LienL. (2012). Posttraumatic growth, depressive symptoms, posttraumatic stress symptoms, post-migration stressors and quality of life in multi-traumatized psychiatric outpatients with a refugee background in Norway. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 10, 84. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-10-84
49.
ThapaS. B.HauffE. (2005). Gender differences in factors associated with psychological distress among immigrants from low- and middle-income countries: Findings from the Oslo Health Study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 40(1), 78–84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-005-0855-8
50.
TingvoldL.HauffE.AllenJ.MiddelthonA. L. (2012). Seeking balance between the past and the present: Vietnamese refugee parenting practices and adolescent well-being. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 36(4), 563–574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2012.03.004
UNHCR. (2006). The state of the world’s refugees 2006 – Human displacement in the new millennium. Chapter 3: Addressing refugee security.
53.
Uribe GuajardoM. G.Slewa-YounanS.SmithM.EagarS.StoneG. (2016). Psychological distress is influenced by length of stay in resettled Iraqi refugees in Australia. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 10, 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-016-0036-z
54.
VanderWeeleT. J. (2017). Religious communities and human flourishing. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 26(5), 476–481. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417721526
55.
Van DijkR.BalaJ.ÖryF.KramerS. (2001). Now we have lost everything: Asylum seekers in the Netherlands and their experiences with health care. Medische Antropologie, 2, 284–300.
56.
VelayatiA. A.BakayevV.BahadoriM.TabatabaeiS. J.AlaeiA.FarahboodA.MasjediM. R. (2007). Religious and cultural traits in HIV/AIDS epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa. Archives of Iranian Medicine, 10(4), 486–497. https://doi.org/07104/AIM.0012
57.
WHO (World Health Organisation). (2002). WHOQOL-SRPB field-test instrument: WHOQOL spirituality, religiousness and personal beliefs (SRPB) field-test instrument: The WHOQOL-100 questions plus 32 SRPB questions (2012 revision ed.). World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/77777
58.
WinterU.HauriD.HuberS.JeneweinJ.SchnyderU.KraemerB. (2009). The psychological outcome of religious coping with stressful life events in a Swiss sample of church attendees. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 78(4), 240–244. https://doi.org/10.1159/000219523
ZolbergA. R. (1989). The next waves: Migration theory for a changing world. International Migration Review, 23(3), 403–430.
61.
ZukermanG.KornL. (2014). Post-traumatic stress and world assumptions: The effects of religious coping. Journal of Religion and Health, 53(6), 1676–1690. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-013-9755-5
