Religious problem-solving styles and self-efficacy with problem-focused coping in a faith-based poverty alleviation programme

ABSTRACT

How people cope with the stress of poverty and engage with its causes and potential solutions impacts their capacity to survive, manage and work to improve their situation. Problem-focused coping involves a person's engagement to make plans, mobilize resources and take action. This cross-sectional study explores the relationship of problem-focused coping with religious problem-solving styles (RPSS) and self-efficacy of participants in a faith-based poverty alleviation programme (n = 43). Results indicated that Self-directing RPSS was negatively correlated with problem-focused coping (−.34, p < .05). Collaborative RPSS was positively correlated with problem-focused coping (.40, p < .01) as was Self-efficacy RPSS (.33, p <.05). Between the independent variables, there was a positive correlation between self-efficacy and Collaborative RPSS (.32, p < .05). These results suggest participants who relied on God in a collaborative way were more likely to utilize problem-focused coping than those who did not.

KEYWORDS:

• Religious problem-solving
• self-efficacy
• problem-focused coping
• coping
• poverty

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).