There are frequent allusions to the influence of religious aspects on cure and ilness processes in health contexts. In the last two decades, the relationship between religiosity and coping has been investigated mostly by social sciences and health researchers. This article consists on a literature review about religiosity and coping in health contexts. Cognitive or behavioral strategies which come from religiosity in order to cope with stress are called religious coping. This review includes historic aspects of the connection between religiosity and health, the positive and negative functions of religious coping, the religious coping assessment by instruments, and some research results in this area.
Religiosity; coping; religious coping; health psychology