Proceedings of the 29th International Academic Conference, Rome

SPIRITUALITY AS A COPING MECHANISM FOR PROBLEMS RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH

FULYA AKGÜL GÖK, EZGI ARSLAN, VELI DUYAN

Abstract:

Emerging of the disease, accepting the disease and whole this process especially affect the life of the mental health patient’s family. Parents shape and change their lives according the disease of the children and they cannot perform same activities before the disease. Parent’s spare time decrease and creates some emotional problems as well as economic and social difficulties cause important effects in their lives. These individuals develop some coping strategies in order to overcome these problems. This study aims to explain and be understood the spirituality, one of these strategies. This study aims to explain and determine the importance of spirituality as a coping mechanism while dealing with every psychosocial, physical and economic problems attached to families of the individuals with mental illnesses. This study aims to explain and determine how the spirituality as a coping mechanism is used by families of the individuals with mental illnesses. Spirituality is wrongly understand as a religious term but it involves personal and intra-personal power of individuals. Its multidimensional term with the believing of some higher power than the individual’s his/herself. Therefore it is really significant coping mechanism.

Keywords: Spirituality; coping mechanism; mental health; social work; family

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2017.029.003

PDF: Download