The COVID-19 pandemic was an inherently stressful global crisis that was associated with weight gain for over 40% of the American public. Building on previous research, we draw on recently collected national survey data from the United States to examine the effects of religious attendance (both in-person and virtual), the sense of divine control, and religious/spiritual (R/S) struggles on pandemic weight gain. A series of logistic regression models were conducted. Our findings suggest that divine control and monthly in-person religious attendance were associated with a lower risk of pandemic weight gain, while R/S struggles were associated with a higher risk of weight gain. Our results reveal the complex role that religiosity can play with respect to pandemic weight gain.

Drawing on data provided by 1,841 lay or ordained members of the Anglican Church residing in England during the first half of 2021, this study explores the connection between self-perceived change in psychological well-being during the pandemic and belief in divine control over the pandemic. Change in psychological well-being was assessed by The Index of Balanced Affect Change (TIBACh) that distinguishes between positive affect and negative affect, and divine control was assessed by the God in Control of the Pandemic Scale (GiCoPS). After controlling for personal factors (age and sex), psychological factors (psychological type and emotional volatility), contextual factors (education level and ordination status), and ecclesial factors (conservative doctrine and charismatic influence), the data demonstrated a positive association between belief in divine control and change in positive affect, but no association between belief in divine control and change in negative affect.

The pressured experienced due to COVID-19 for young people has become clearly visible in the domain of well-being. Although the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on emerging adults have been examined, little is known about the role played by risk perception and religiosity for their well-being. In addition, the mediating effects of meaning-making and perceived stress still need to be investigated. A total of 316 emerging adults (143 males and 173 females) participated in the present study. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, we showed that the relationship of risk perception of COVID-19 and religiosity with subjective well-being was largely mediated by meaning-making and perceived stress. However, their mediational roles were different and depended on the interplay of perceptual and religious factors, which can be more fully understood within the meaning-making model. Emerging adults tend to rely on both their personal evaluation of COVID-related risks and religious beliefs to the extent that it helps them understand current life situations and restore cognitive and emotional balance.

Ethnic churches attended by first generation Chinese immigrants are uniquely positioned to address emerging HIV prevention and care needs within the Chinese community at-large. Efforts to develop faith-based HIV programs necessitate identifying how HIV intersects with the sinicization of Christianity within Chinese churches. This paper will review the process of contextualizing HIV within theological and cultural frameworks that are meaningful for ethnic Chinese church leaders and members. The authors specifically propose two points of integration between public health and ecclesial functions: (1) HIV stigma-mitigation initiatives as informed by Christo-centric teachings of compassion and justice, and (2) HIV prevention and care reframed as social responsibility and informed by the Christian tradition of evangelism. Systems and practices that hinder and promote the involvement of Chinese churches in HIV prevention, care, and stigma-reduction will be discussed.

Christian psychologists have questioned whether the code of ethics proposed by secular psychology is sufficient for the practitioner who is a Christian. However, little descriptive data exist on the ethical beliefs and behaviors of Christian psychologists. Survey data were obtained from 69 Christian clinicians indicating the frequency with which they engaged in 83 behaviors and the degree to which they believed the behaviors were ethical. Responses were tabulated for each option and on each behavior. Of the 83 items, four occurred in the practices of over 90% of the respondents, while six never occurred, the latter being mostly sexually related items. Agreement on ethics was found with 13 of the items, while nine behaviors, several of which involved financial issues, proved to be difficult ethical judgments. The data indicate that Christian psychologists are effectively understanding and implementing the ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association although guidance may be needed regarding finances and homosexuality.

Although few guidelines exist, many therapists use prayer as a part of psychotherapy. The immense variance inherent in prayer behaviors and the paucity of literature on its use beckons the profession to develop a model for its use in therapy, examine the ethical implications for such use, and prepare guidelines for practice. A tripartite model for the conceptualization and localization of prayer in therapy is presented, ethical issues of therapist bias and competence and clients' right to autonomous decision making are considered, and guidelines for employing prayer in psychotherapy are developed.