Religious Coping Among Adults Living with Chronic Health Conditions at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Abstract

Chronic health conditions create prolonged physical, psychological, social, and functional challenges that require individuals to develop effective coping strategies. In Nigeria, where religious beliefs strongly influence personal identity and responses to illness, religious coping may serve as an important resource for adults managing chronic health conditions. This study examined positive and negative religious coping among adults living with chronic health conditions at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Nigeria. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed among adults receiving treatment for selected chronic conditions at UBTH. A total of 107 participants were recruited using convenience sampling from selected medical wards. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire containing socio-demographic and clinical information and the 14-item Brief Religious Coping (Brief RCOPE) scale, which measures positive and negative religious coping dimensions. Descriptive statistics summarised participant characteristics and coping scores, while the Wilcoxon signed-rank test compared positive and negative religious coping scores. The study found that participants used positive religious coping more, with a mean score of 8.73 ± 4.45, compared with negative religious coping, which had a mean score of 0.57 ± 1.30. The difference between positive and negative religious coping scores was statistically significant (p < 0.001), indicating that participants relied more on religious practices and beliefs for support than on expressions of religious struggle. The Brief RCOPE demonstrated good internal consistency for positive religious coping and acceptable reliability for negative religious coping. The findings highlight the importance of recognising religious coping patterns in healthcare and rehabilitation practice, particularly occupational therapy, when supporting adults living with chronic health conditions.