The Mediating Role of Religious Coping in Perceived Stress, Psychological Symptoms and Psychological Well-Being in a Sample of Puerto Rican Adults

The impact of religious coping (RC) on health has been a subject of interest in recent years. Despite the increase in research on RC, in Puerto Rico there has not been identified studies aimed to examine the mediating role of positive (PRC) and negative (NRC) religious coping in mental health variables. Therefore, the objectives of the study are: (1) Examine the relationship between perceived stress (PS) with PRC/NRC, psychological symptoms (PSx; depression, anxiety & posttraumatic symptoms) and psychological well-being (PWB) in a sample of 302 Puerto Rican adults with several self- report measures associated with mental health outcomes. (2) Examine the relationship between PRC/NRC with PSx, PTSD, and PWB. (3) Examine the mediating role of PRC/ NRC in the relationship between PS, PSx, PTSD and PWB. The results of the study revealed that the PRC did not mediate none of the mental health variables. However, NRC significantly related and mediated the relationship between PS with PWB and post- traumatic stress disorders symptoms. Implications are discussed.