Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Psychological Medicine, University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University Malaya Faculty of Medicine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Emergency Medicine, University Malaya Faculty of Medicine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Anaesthesiology, University Malaya Faculty of Medicine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 5 Department of General Medicine, Hospital Shah Alam, Persiaran Kayangan, Shah Alam, Malaysia
  • 6 Department of Primary Care Medicine, University Malaya Faculty of Medicine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 7 Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Malaya Faculty of Medicine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Alpha Psychiatry, 2021 Jul;22(4):194-199.
PMID: 36424939 DOI: 10.5152/alphapsychiatry.2021.21185

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: At the dawn of the new decade of the 20th century, the world was taken aback by the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to study the nature of religious coping of frontline healthcare workers seen through the perspective of gender, socio-economic status, and occupation.

METHODS: An online-based study was carried out among frontline healthcare workers involved in the care of COVID-19 patients (n = 200). Sociodemographic data form and the Brief Religious Coping scale were used in this study.

RESULTS: There were more female healthcare workers (60.5%) and doctors (69.5% vs. 30.5%). Healthcare workers used more positive religious coping than negative religious coping (median score: 22 vs. 9). Positive religious coping was seen more in females (median score: 23 vs. 21, P = .015). Non-doctors applied positive coping more than doctors (median score: 26 vs. 21, P < .001). There were significant differences in positive religious coping scores across income groups, with the B40 group having the highest score (median score: 24). Post hoc pairwise comparison concluded that the B40 group had significantly higher positive religious coping scores than the M40 group.

CONCLUSION: Positive coping was utilized more among female healthcare workers, nondoctors, and the lowest socio-economic group. As prior literature has shown that positive religious coping is desirable and has superior mental health outcomes, our findings show that more effort should be channeled into enhancing positive religious coping, particularly among male healthcare workers, doctors, and the middle and high socio-economic group.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.