ABSTRACT

This  study  was  conducted  to  examine  the  relationship  between    religious  coping  and  Posttraumatic  Stress  Disorder (PTSD)  among flood-affected  population  of  Srinagar  city, Jammu and Kashmir, India.  The  study  was  conducted  in  aftermath  of  the  September  2014  devastating  flood  that  hit  the  Kashmir  Valley. Purposive sampling was used; students from two hostels and adults from a locality marooned in flood-water for at least three days in Srinagar city were selected (n = 152 ). Participants completed  two  scales, ‘ Impact  of  an  Event  Scale’  and  ‘Brief  RCOPE’.  Data was analyzed by running stepwise regression.  The  results  showed  significant  positive  correlations  between  Positive  Religious  Coping  ( PRC )  and  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD);  and  a positive correlation also existed between  Negative  Religious  Coping   ( NRC )  and  PTSD. Negative religious coping  could  fairly  predict  PTSD,  whereas positive religious coping  was  not  found  to  be  a  good  predictor  of  PTSD.  The  findings  from  the  present  study  suggest  that   religious  coping  patterns  affect  ways  in  which trauma  is  interpreted  and  reactions  toward  it.