Understanding the Role of Spiritual Groups on Spirituality, Hope, Resilience and Social Connectedness amongst Indian Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Being part of a faith group aids individuals cope and make meaning during extenuating conditions. Research suggests that social connection to a spiritual group facilitates individuals' and communities' well-being. The Covid-19 pandemic presented various socio-emotional difficulties. The present study aims to understand if being a part of a spiritual group helps cultivate spirituality, resilience, hope, and social connectedness and if these factors helped women cope during the pandemic. The study uses a quantitative comparative design, with two groups of women participants (18-40 years). The first group (30) of women belonged to a spiritual group (WSG), and the second (35) group of women were not a part of any spiritual group (WNSG). The data was collected through snowball sampling in Lucknow, and participants completed online self-report measures on Spirituality (Spirituality Assessment Scale), Resilience (Brief Resilience Scale), Hope (Adult Hope Scale), and Social Connectedness (Social Connectedness Scale). To study the level of participation with the spiritual group and their experiences during the pandemic a few open-ended questions were employed. The findings reveal that WSG was more spiritual, resilient, hopeful, and socially connected than WNSG. The association with the spiritual group provided them the means to utilize various adaptable socio/emotional strategies, helping them cope during the pandemic. The current study has significant implications for spirituality and positive psychology in terms of offering efficient stress-reduction techniques for coping. Mental health practitioners can utilize spiritual practices as therapeutic interventions to enhance hope and resilience while facing stressful situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]