Abstract
Religion has been shown to provide a forward focus, beyond one’s current circumstances and, thus, create an empowering and unifying function. Various studies demonstrate a correlation between religion and positive coping and resiliency following stressful or traumatic events, some even measuring post-traumatic growth. This understanding has informed the scientific study of religion in dealing with the aftermath of a natural disaster, an emerging and growing field of inquiry. Many resources have been developed to encourage the integration of religious and spiritual elements in disaster relief efforts. And current research has supported the benefits of positive religious and spiritual care in disaster survivors. However, studies examining spiritual and emotional care in practice are very limited. Even fewer are investigations within actual church communities. This paper presents the findings of a mixed methods research study that investigated how religion influenced the spiritual and emotional care of the people of Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, the political strife of summer 2019, the earthquakes and the pandemic. With this new knowledge and understanding we hope to isolate variables and develop models for practitioners that may contribute to a more culturally sensitive practice.
Presenters
Julianne BryantAssociate Professor, Modern Languages, Biola University, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Religious Coping, Hispanic, Spiritual Fortitude, Disasters, Spiritual and Emotional Care
