Associations Among Religious Involvement, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Marital Functioning Within the U.S. Latino Population.

OBJECTIVE

The U.S. Latino community faces elevated risks for marital distress given stressors such as economic hardship and immigration-related challenges, but there has been limited research on protective and risk factors associated with marital outcomes among this population. Given the prominent role of religion in U.S. Latino communities and their elevated risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this study examined associations among PTSD, religious involvement, and marital functioning, as well as whether religious involvement moderated the association between PTSD and marital functioning.

METHODS

This study used secondary data from 1,288 married Latino individuals in the National Latino and Asian American Study. Multiple linear regression analyses examined associations between religious involvement (religious service attendance and coping), lifetime PTSD diagnosis, and marital functioning (cohesion and conflict).

RESULTS

Higher religious service attendance was linked to higher marital cohesion and lower marital conflict, whereas seeking comfort in religion during difficult times was associated with higher marital conflict. Lifetime PTSD was associated with higher marital conflict, and this association was not significantly moderated by religious involvement.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings are valuable for understanding the factors associated with marital functioning among Latino couples and suggest that religious service attendance may be a relational resource, whereas certain types of coping may be associated with greater marital conflict. Considering the religiocultural context may inform interventions and support services that leverage resources and values embedded within religious communities to promote marital functioning among Latino couples.