AUTHOR=Buchtova Marie , Malinakova Klara , Novak Lukas , Janu Anna , Husek Vit , Van Dijk Jitse P. , Tavel Peter 

TITLE=The Associations of Experiencing the COVID-19 Pandemic With Religiosity and Spirituality: A Cross-Sectional Study in Czech Adults

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 67 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2022.1604712

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2022.1604712

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=Objectives: We investigated the associations between religiosity/spirituality and respondents’ changes in their relationships, feelings, thinking, and behaviour during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic. 
Methods: A sample of Czech adults (n=1434; 48.3±16.4 years; 49.65% women) participated in the online survey. We measured spirituality, religiosity, self-reported changes in relationships, disrupted feelings, and changes in behaviour during the pandemic. 
Results: Spiritual respondents were more likely to report increased physical activity, sex, reading and self-education, with odds ratios (ORs) ranging from 1.26 (95% confidence interval 1.09-1.46) to 1.56 (1.31-1.86). The combination of spirituality and religiosity led to an increase in the range of ORs to 1.57-2.69. Spiritual and religious participants were less likely to feel the decrease of hope by 70%, while mere spirituality significantly reduced the decrease of hope by only 30%. Religiosity itself led to a lower risk of reporting a disrupted day structure with an OR=0.74 (0.58-0.95). 
Conclusion: Religiosity and spirituality separately help people during a pandemic in some areas. Especially their combination has a more positive impact on relationships, feelings, and behaviour.