Empirical Analysis of the Relationship Between Religious Coping and Psychological Resilience Among Persons with Chronic Illness in Osun State

Religious coping is a widely practised but empirically undercharacterised stress response among Nigerian patients with chronic illness, and understanding its relationship to psychological resilience has direct implications for spiritually sensitive counselling with this population. This study empirically investigated the relationship between religious coping strategies and psychological resilience among adults with chronic illness in Osogbo, Osun State, South West Nigeria. A correlational survey was conducted among 250 adults with confirmed chronic illness diagnoses (diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease) attending two public hospital outpatient clinics. The Brief Religious Coping Scale, Resilience Scale for Adults, and Illness Perception Questionnaire were administered. Multiple regression and moderation analysis were applied. Results showed that positive religious coping (collaborative coping with God, benevolent religious reappraisal) was a significant positive predictor of psychological resilience (beta = 0.52, p < 0.001). Negative religious coping (religious discontent, feeling abandoned by God) was a significant negative predictor (beta = -0.38, p < 0.001). Illness duration significantly moderated the positive religious coping-resilience relationship, with stronger effects among those with longer illness histories. Respondents who received hospital-based spiritual support showed higher resilience scores. The study provides empirical support for integrating religious coping resources into counselling for chronic illness patients and recommends spiritually sensitive counselling training for all counsellors working in healthcare settings in Osun State. Keywords: religious coping, psychological resilience, chronic illness, Osun State, spiritually sensitive counselling