When reliance on religion falters: Religious coping and post-traumatic stress symptoms in older adults after multiple disasters

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina brought devastating losses to Gulf Coast communities. In this study, Katrina survivors answered open-ended questions about coping with hurricane-related challenges. The sample was partitioned into low and high scorers on a non-organizational religiosity scale. Content analyses revealed that low scorers described secular strategies, relied less on a church community in the aftermath of the storms, and exhibited active religious coping. High scorers referenced a greater need for God and faith, highly valued their church as a coping resource, and described passive religious coping strategies. Implications of the loss of familiar religious routines after disaster are discussed.