This investigation applied a cross-sectional comparative methodology to examine the levels, predictors, and consequences of religious struggles among a multinational sample of 706 Muslims recruited in three universities in Israel/Palestine, Turkey, and Malaysia. Participants were asked to provide demographics and complete measures of religious struggles, satisfaction with life, and generalized anxiety. Three main findings emerged from the study: (1) In general, participants reported low levels of religious struggles; (2) Turks scored significantly higher than both Palestinians and Malaysians on religious struggles; (3) higher levels of generalized anxiety were predicted by higher levels of religious struggles among Malaysians only, and lower levels of satisfaction with life were predicted by higher levels of religious struggles among Palestinians and Turks only. These findings suggest that the links between religious struggles and health and well-being among Muslims are complex, and call for a nuanced detailed analysis of the religious struggles phenomenon among this population.
This study tested the levels and consequences of positive religious coping among a multinational sample of Muslims. The sample consisted of 706 university students recruited in three Muslim countries: Israel/Palestine, Turkey and Malaysia. Participants' average age was 22.61, and 65% of them were females. This investigation applied a cross-sectional comparative methodology. Measures used: demographics, positive religious coping, satisfaction with life and depressive symptoms. The findings indicated that (a) participants reported high levels of positive religious coping usage, and Malaysians scored significantly higher in this regard than both Palestinians and Turks; (b) positive religious coping correlated positively with satisfaction with life but was not linked to depressive symptoms and (c) the magnitude of correlation between positive and satisfaction with life was significantly higher among Malaysians than among both Palestinians and Turks. The findings suggest that to understand the implications of positive religious coping for the health and well-being of Muslims, a detailed and nuanced analysis is needed.