Avoidance Behavior Following Terror Event Exposure: Effects of Perceived Life Threat and Jewish Religious Coping

Abstract

The current research was designed to examine associations of perceived life threat (PLT) and religious coping with the development of avoidance behavior following terror event exposure. Based upon the terror management theory (TMT), we hypothesized that religious coping, through its effect on religious beliefs as a meaning system, would moderate the impact of threat, as expressed in PLT, on an individual's reaction to terror event exposure, as manifested in avoidance behavior. Participants were 591 Israeli Jewish students who were vicariously or directly exposed to a terror event in the past. We report a significant interaction between PLT and negative religious coping. PLT was positively associated with avoidance behavior but this relationship was more profound among persons who reported high negative religious coping. Secular students reported higher rates of avoidance behavior and negative religious coping and were more likely than religious students to report intrapersonal religious conflict. Our findings suggest that terror event exposure is associated with an elevated sense of threat, which is, at least in part, associated with a weakening of prior religious beliefs.

Religiosity and the psychological outcomes of trauma: A systematic review of quantitative studies

“…Consistent pattern of associations was found in the case of negative religious coping and symptoms of disorders: depression (Ahrens et al, ; Henslee et al, ; Leaman & Gee, ), PTSD (Berzengi, Berzenji, Kadim, Mustafa, & Jobson, ; Cuevas et al, ; Currier et al, ; Gerber et al, ; Harris et al, ; Leaman & Gee, ; McCann & Webb, ; Park et al, ; Raines et al, ; Wortmann et al, ; Zukerman, Korn, & Fostick, —only in women; Zukerman, Korn, Shapiro, & Fostick, , avoidance symptoms), distress (Chan & Rhodes, ), suicidal ideations (Currier, Smith, & Kuhlman, ; Kopacz et al, ; Raines et al, ), and substance use (Raines et al, ). Lack of significant associations between the negative coping and symptoms of PTSD was demonstrated in Ahrens et al (), Al‐Hadethe et al (), and Chan and Rhodes ().…”

“…It is, therefore, not clear whether nonreligious individuals experience negative religious coping/religious strain. Zukerman et al () reported that nonreligious participants actually demonstrated higher levels of negative religious coping and intrapersonal religious coping. Relatively high levels of negative religious coping were also found among nonreligious participants in Zukerman and Korn ().…”

Higher Residence Attachment and Religiosity Are Associated With Less Depressive Symptoms After Terror Event Exposure

“…Several research findings suggest that being religious may have a protective effect for individuals exposed to terrorism ( Levav et al, 2008 ; Casakin and Billig, 2009 ; Korn and Zukerman, 2011 ; Zukerman and Korn, 2014 ; Zukerman et al, 2016 , 2017 ). For example, students who define themselves as secular reported higher rates of avoidance behavior following terror event exposure ( Zukerman et al, 2016 ). The reasons behind this variability in response to terror are not yet well understood.…”

“…However, it is possible that religiosity may moderate the effects of trauma through cognitive schemas; religious cognitive schemas have been found to affect one’s “world assumption”- the basic perception of the world and self ( Janoff-Bulman, 1989 )-and may do so by creating a “protective shield” that prevents negative effects resulting from undergoing an extremely negative experience ( Zukerman and Korn, 2014 ). Indeed, religious coping, conceptualized as drawing upon religious beliefs and practices in order to understand and deal with life stressors ( Pargament, 1997 ), has been suggested as a key factor influencing adaptation after trauma exposure ( Laufer and Solomon, 2011 ; Zukerman et al, 2016 , 2017 ); it can manifest as either positive or negative. Positive religious coping, including benevolent religious appraisal, praying, and seeking spiritual support and connection with G-d, has been associated with better adjustment to stressful events and reductions in post-traumatic stress symptomatology ( Pargament et al, 2000 ; Harris et al, 2008 ; Chan and Rhodes, 2013 ).…”

“…In studies conducted in Israel, community size and affiliation (smaller vs. larger, rural communal vs. urban, Braun-Lewensohn and Sagy, 2014 ), and level of religiosity ( Levav et al, 2008 ) were associated with higher resilience to the psychological effects of terror attacks. Of particular interest, individuals from certain communities have been found to be more resilient than others to developing post-traumatic stress symptoms after traumatic experiences ( Korn and Zukerman, 2011 ; Zukerman and Korn, 2014 ; Zukerman et al, 2016 , 2017 ).…”