Hisham Abu-Raiya
Biographic Data
| ID | 163727 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hisham Abu-Raiya |
| GIVEN NAMES | Hisham |
| FAMILY NAME | Abu-Raiya |
| SIGNATURE | ABU-RAIYA H |
| AFFILIATIONS | Tel Aviv University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5790-1139 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 34 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 53 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 34 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Negative birth experiences and fathers' well‐being
Background Fathers' childbirth experiences are underexamined despite implications for coparenting and family functioning. Treating birth as a gendered, institutional process, we examined how adverse paternal experiences relate to fathers' subjective well‐being (SWB) in Israel's pronatalist context. Objective We test an applied model in which negative birth experiences are linked to SWB via masculine gender‐role stress (MGRS) and assess whether pe…
Religious/spiritual struggles and sanctification of relational sexuality
Religious/spiritual struggles arise when some aspects of religious/spiritual belief, practice, or experience become a focus of negative thoughts, emotions, concerns or conflict. Sanctification refers to the degree to which an aspect of life is perceived (a) as a manifestation of God or Higher Powers (i.e., theistic sanctification) and/or (b) as imbued with sacred qualities (i.e., non-theistic sanctification). This is the first investigation we kn…
On the Links Between Exposure to Traumatic Events in Religious Contexts, Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms, and a Positive Perception of God's Image Among Jewish Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals in Israel
This study constitutes one of the first investigations aiming to examine the association between traumatic experiences within religious settings and symptoms of post-traumatic stress among religious lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. Furthermore, the study tested whether the anticipated positive link between those traumatic experiences and post-traumtic stress is influenced by a positive perception of God's image. The sample consisted of 146 Israeli …
The Links Between Insecure Attachment to God, Divine Struggles, and Happiness and Depressive Symptoms Among Muslims and Jews in Israel
This investigation aimed to explore a theoretical model that examines the relationship between patterns of insecure attachment to God (i.e., anxious, avoidant), God-focused religious coping (i.e., divine struggles, positive religious coping), and mental health and well-being (i.e., happiness, depressive symptoms). The study's participants were 340 Israeli Jewish and Muslim individuals who completed electronic self-report questionnaires to assess …
Is religiousness a unique predictor of self-esteem? An empirical investigation with a diverse Israeli sample
The link between religiousness and Covid-19 anxiety among a Turkish sample
The current study tested the associations between three indices of religiousness (i.e., religious practices, religious identity, and religious struggles) and COVID-19 anxiety, and whether these links are mediated by generalised anxiety. Participants of this cross-sectional study were 1089 Turkish individuals who completed an online survey. They provided demographic information, and completed measures of religious practices, religious identity, re…
Direct and Indirect Links Between Religious Coping and Posttraumatic Growth Among Muslims Who Lost Their Children Due to Traffic Accidents
Presence of meaning, search for meaning, religiousness, satisfaction with life and depressive symptoms among a diverse Israeli sample
The present study explored the structure and correlates of meaning in life (MIL) among an Israeli sample. The sample consisted of 559 adults. The average age of participants was 48.24 and 61.3% of them were females. Participants provided demographic information and completed measures of MIL, satisfaction with life, and depressive symptoms. The MIL Questionnaire showed a very good fit for the proposed 2‐factor model (i.e. presence of meaning, sear…
Negative Affect, Fatalism, and Perceived Institutional Betrayal in Times of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Background: A growing number of studies report that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in diverse aversive psychological reactions and created a global mental health crisis. However, the specific mechanisms underlying the negative emotional reactions as well as the differences between countries are only beginning to be explored. The present study examined the association of COVID-19-related fear and negative affect in Israel and Switzerland. The …
Religious Coping and Health and Well-Being among Jews and Muslims in Israel
This cross-sectional study used data from 486 Israeli Jews and Muslims to examine the phenomenon of religious coping among an Israeli sample. Participants were recruited in the context of two research projects on coping methods, one examining the stress of the Gaza war of 2014, and the other examining the stress of aging. Participants provided demographic information and completed measures of religious coping, satisfaction with life, and depressi…
The links between religious coping and subjective well-being among Israeli-Muslims who lost a beloved person through death
This study examined the relationships between religious coping and indices of subjective well-being among 132 Israeli-Muslims who lost a beloved person through death. Participants provided demographic and death-related information, and completed measures of religious coping, satisfaction with life, positive/negative affect. Positive correlations were observed between positive religious coping and both satisfaction with life and positive affect, a…
Relationships between Religious Struggles and Well-Being among a Multinational Muslim Sample
This investigation applied a cross-sectional comparative methodology to examine the levels, predictors, and consequences of religious struggles among a multinational sample of 706 Muslims recruited in three universities in Israel/Palestine, Turkey, and Malaysia. Participants were asked to provide demographics and complete measures of religious struggles, satisfaction with life, and generalized anxiety. Three main findings emerged from the study: …
The relationships between religious coping and mental and physical health among female survivors of intimate partner violence in Israel
This study is one of the first studies to examine the relationships between religious coping and indices of mental and physical health among female survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). This investigation utilized a cross-sectional design and a sample of 140 Israeli female survivors of IPV, from different religious backgrounds. Participants were asked to provide demographic information and complete measures of religious coping, depressive…
A critique from within
Operating from a perspective of an empirical psychologist of religion and spirituality, in this paper, I point to some areas of improvement in our field. Specifically, I (1) briefly target the lack of consensus in defining religion and spirituality; (2) point to the need for answering the crucial question: How unique is religion? (3) tackle the Western/Christian bias of the field; and (4) address three fundamental methodological issues (generalis…
The process of desistance among core ex-gang members
Research has established robust links between gang membership, delinquency, violence and victimization. Yet studies examining the process of gang desistance in general and that of core gang members in particular, are quite rare. The current study aims to identify factors associated with desistance of core gang members as well as describe the nature of the process that these "formers" have undergone. Thirty-nine core ex-gang members (80% males and…
The Intergenerational Effect of Maternal Multicultural Experience on Children's Tolerance
Although recent research has demonstrated the benefits of multicultural experience for reducing personal levels of intergroup bias, the potential for an intergenerational effect has yet to be explored. Using samples of Jewish-Israeli (Study 1a) and Palestinian-Israeli (Study 1b) mother-child dyads, we found that maternal multicultural experience was indirectly related to greater social tolerance among children via lower levels of maternal need fo…
Reducing primary and secondary traumatic stress symptoms among educators by training them to deliver a resiliency program (Erase-Stress) following the Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand
The current investigation evaluated the impact of a universal school-based resiliency intervention (ERASE-Stress) on educators who were working with elementary schoolchildren exposed to the Canterbury earthquake in New Zealand. In the context of major disasters, educators may suffer from "dual trauma"; they can experience symptoms of both primary trauma (as a result of the disaster itself) and secondary trauma (as a result of working with traumat…
Religiousness and Subjective Well-Being Among Israeli-Palestinian College Students
Religious coping among diverse religions
In this article, we review and evaluate the steadily growing body of research on religious coping among diverse religious samples. Comparisons are made between findings generated from Christian samples and those generated from other religious groups. Several conclusions are drawn based on this revie
Religion as problem, religion as solution
An Empirical Examination of Religious/Spiritual Struggle Among Israeli Jews
The current investigation examined the prevalence, predictors, and psychological implications of religious and spiritual (r/s) struggles among a sample of Israeli-Jewish university students. R/s struggle was assessed by the Religious and Spiritual Struggles (RSS) Scale. This is a newly constructed scale that assesses a wide array of r/s struggles. The RSS is composed of six factors of struggles: Divine, Doubt, Demonic, Interpersonal, Moral, and U…
Robust links between religious/spiritual struggles, psychological distress, and well-being in a national sample of American adults
This study is one of the first attempts to examine the relationships between religious and spiritual struggles (r/s struggles) measured comprehensively and indicators of psychological distress (i.e., depressive symptoms, generalized anxiety) and well-being (i.e., satisfaction with life, happiness) using a nationally representative sample of American adults (N = 2,208) dealing with a wide range of major life stressors. In addition, it examines the…
Prevalence, Predictors, and Implications of Religious/Spiritual Struggles Among Muslims
The current investigation explored prevalence, predictors, and psychological implications of religious and spiritual (r/s) struggles among an Israeli-Palestinian, Muslim sample. R/s struggle was assessed by the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale (Exline et al. 2014), a newly developed scale that assesses a wide array of r/s struggles. Factor analysis of the scale in this study revealed five factors of struggle: Divine and Doubt, Punitive Ent…
Appraising the state of measurement of Islamic religiousness
Western Psychology and Muslim Psychology in Dialogue
A Psychological Measure of Islamic Religiousness
A 60-item Psychological Measure of Islamic Religiousness (PMIR) was developed in three stages: (a) Domains of Islam relevant to physical and mental health were identified via theory and semistructured interviews with 25 Muslims; (b) an initial version of PMIR was pilot tested with 64 Muslims from the United States and Israel; and (c) desirable psychometric qualities of the final measure were established based on an international, Internet-solicit…
Prevalence, Predictors, and Implications of Religious/Spiritual Struggles Among Muslims
The current investigation explored prevalence, predictors, and psychological implications of religious and spiritual (r/s) struggles among an Israeli-Palestinian, Muslim sample. R/s struggle was assessed by the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale (Exline et al. 2014), a newly developed scale that assesses a wide array of r/s struggles. Factor analysis of the scale in this study revealed five factors of struggle: Divine and Doubt, Punitive Ent…
Religiousness and Subjective Well-Being Among Israeli-Palestinian College Students
An Empirical Examination of Religious/Spiritual Struggle Among Israeli Jews
The current investigation examined the prevalence, predictors, and psychological implications of religious and spiritual (r/s) struggles among a sample of Israeli-Jewish university students. R/s struggle was assessed by the Religious and Spiritual Struggles (RSS) Scale. This is a newly constructed scale that assesses a wide array of r/s struggles. The RSS is composed of six factors of struggles: Divine, Doubt, Demonic, Interpersonal, Moral, and U…
The Intergenerational Effect of Maternal Multicultural Experience on Children's Tolerance
Although recent research has demonstrated the benefits of multicultural experience for reducing personal levels of intergroup bias, the potential for an intergenerational effect has yet to be explored. Using samples of Jewish-Israeli (Study 1a) and Palestinian-Israeli (Study 1b) mother-child dyads, we found that maternal multicultural experience was indirectly related to greater social tolerance among children via lower levels of maternal need fo…
Spiritual Struggles as a Possible Risk Factor for Addictive Behaviors
Research has provided robust evidence that religious/spiritual variables serve as protective factors against developing addictive behaviors, such as substance-related abuse. Few studies, however, have considered whether religious/spiritual variables may be risk factors in the development of addictive behaviors. One such variable, spiritual struggles, is receiving increased attention and has been empirically linked to various negative psychologica…
Religious Coping and Health and Well-Being among Jews and Muslims in Israel
This cross-sectional study used data from 486 Israeli Jews and Muslims to examine the phenomenon of religious coping among an Israeli sample. Participants were recruited in the context of two research projects on coping methods, one examining the stress of the Gaza war of 2014, and the other examining the stress of aging. Participants provided demographic information and completed measures of religious coping, satisfaction with life, and depressi…
Relationships between Religious Struggles and Well-Being among a Multinational Muslim Sample
This investigation applied a cross-sectional comparative methodology to examine the levels, predictors, and consequences of religious struggles among a multinational sample of 706 Muslims recruited in three universities in Israel/Palestine, Turkey, and Malaysia. Participants were asked to provide demographics and complete measures of religious struggles, satisfaction with life, and generalized anxiety. Three main findings emerged from the study: …
A Decade of Research on the Psychology of Religion and Coping
Recently, the field of psychology has begun to display a growing interest in religious coping methods and their implications for health and well-being. Empirical studies have yielded an interesting picture of the relationship between religious coping and physical and mental health. In this paper, we review some of the foundational assumptions on which the theory of religion and coping rests. Then, we summarize recent advances in research in the a…
Lessons Learned and Challenges Faced in Developing the Psychological Measure of Islamic Religiousness
Between 2004 and 2006, we conducted a three-stage program of research with the aim of developing and validating a measure of Islamic practices and beliefs that could be utilized in mental health research. The outcome of these efforts was a Psychological Measure of Islamic Religiousness (PMIR) that possesses desirable psychometric properties. In this article, we describe the rationale behind developing the measure, the assumptions that guided our …
A Psychological Measure of Islamic Religiousness
A 60-item Psychological Measure of Islamic Religiousness (PMIR) was developed in three stages: (a) Domains of Islam relevant to physical and mental health were identified via theory and semistructured interviews with 25 Muslims; (b) an initial version of PMIR was pilot tested with 64 Muslims from the United States and Israel; and (c) desirable psychometric qualities of the final measure were established based on an international, Internet-solicit…
Examining coping methods with stressful interpersonal events experienced by Muslims living in the United States following the 9/11 attacks
On the Links between Perceptions of Desecration and Prejudice toward Religious and Social Groups
With the introduction of a theory of spirituality, a new line of research has emerged that can facilitate a more in-depth understanding of religion and prejudice. Central to this line of research is the concept of desecration, or perceived violations of what the individual holds sacred. Empirical studies of desecration have consistently shown that appraisals of desecrations predict prejudice even after partialling out traditional religiously-base…
Empirically based psychology of Islam
In this paper, we systematically review the growing empirically based psychology of Islam. We arrive at 10 conclusions: (l) Islam is a multidimensional religion; Islam might mean different things to different people, and some people might adhere to some of its elements but not to others; (2) Islam is similar to, but is different from, other religions; (3) Islam's role in the lives of Muslims seems mostly positive; (4) Some types of Islamic religi…
Towards a systematic Qura’nic theory of personality
Based on hermeneutic interpretation of the Holy Qura’n and the theoretical suggestions of the eminent Muslim thinker Al-Ghazali, a Qura’nic theory of personality is articulated. Eight main interrelated concepts have been identified in the present analysis and serve as the building blocks of a Qura’nic theory of personality: nafs (psyche), nafs ammarah besoa’ (evil-commanding psyche), al-nafs al-lawammah (the reproachful psyche), roh (spirit), a’q…
On the Connection between Islamic Sacred Texts and Muslims’ Political Conduct
This essay provides an empirically grounded and theoretically informed examination of Israeli elites’ discourse on Islam, in general, and its conceptualization of the relationship between Islamic sacred texts and the political conduct of Muslims, in particular. It argues that the Israeli elites’ discourse, for the most part, is not only unhistorical and lacking in a sociological basis, but, most importantly, emphasizes Islamic religious texts whi…
Spiritual Struggles as a Possible Risk Factor for Addictive Behaviors
Research has provided robust evidence that religious/spiritual variables serve as protective factors against developing addictive behaviors, such as substance-related abuse. Few studies, however, have considered whether religious/spiritual variables may be risk factors in the development of addictive behaviors. One such variable, spiritual struggles, is receiving increased attention and has been empirically linked to various negative psychologica…
Appraising the state of measurement of Islamic religiousness
Western Psychology and Muslim Psychology in Dialogue
Religious coping among diverse religions
In this article, we review and evaluate the steadily growing body of research on religious coping among diverse religious samples. Comparisons are made between findings generated from Christian samples and those generated from other religious groups. Several conclusions are drawn based on this revie
Religion as problem, religion as solution
An Empirical Examination of Religious/Spiritual Struggle Among Israeli Jews
The current investigation examined the prevalence, predictors, and psychological implications of religious and spiritual (r/s) struggles among a sample of Israeli-Jewish university students. R/s struggle was assessed by the Religious and Spiritual Struggles (RSS) Scale. This is a newly constructed scale that assesses a wide array of r/s struggles. The RSS is composed of six factors of struggles: Divine, Doubt, Demonic, Interpersonal, Moral, and U…
Robust links between religious/spiritual struggles, psychological distress, and well-being in a national sample of American adults
This study is one of the first attempts to examine the relationships between religious and spiritual struggles (r/s struggles) measured comprehensively and indicators of psychological distress (i.e., depressive symptoms, generalized anxiety) and well-being (i.e., satisfaction with life, happiness) using a nationally representative sample of American adults (N = 2,208) dealing with a wide range of major life stressors. In addition, it examines the…
Prevalence, Predictors, and Implications of Religious/Spiritual Struggles Among Muslims
The current investigation explored prevalence, predictors, and psychological implications of religious and spiritual (r/s) struggles among an Israeli-Palestinian, Muslim sample. R/s struggle was assessed by the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale (Exline et al. 2014), a newly developed scale that assesses a wide array of r/s struggles. Factor analysis of the scale in this study revealed five factors of struggle: Divine and Doubt, Punitive Ent…
Reducing primary and secondary traumatic stress symptoms among educators by training them to deliver a resiliency program (Erase-Stress) following the Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand
The current investigation evaluated the impact of a universal school-based resiliency intervention (ERASE-Stress) on educators who were working with elementary schoolchildren exposed to the Canterbury earthquake in New Zealand. In the context of major disasters, educators may suffer from "dual trauma"; they can experience symptoms of both primary trauma (as a result of the disaster itself) and secondary trauma (as a result of working with traumat…
Religiousness and Subjective Well-Being Among Israeli-Palestinian College Students
The relationships between religious coping and mental and physical health among female survivors of intimate partner violence in Israel
This study is one of the first studies to examine the relationships between religious coping and indices of mental and physical health among female survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). This investigation utilized a cross-sectional design and a sample of 140 Israeli female survivors of IPV, from different religious backgrounds. Participants were asked to provide demographic information and complete measures of religious coping, depressive…
A critique from within
Operating from a perspective of an empirical psychologist of religion and spirituality, in this paper, I point to some areas of improvement in our field. Specifically, I (1) briefly target the lack of consensus in defining religion and spirituality; (2) point to the need for answering the crucial question: How unique is religion? (3) tackle the Western/Christian bias of the field; and (4) address three fundamental methodological issues (generalis…
The process of desistance among core ex-gang members
Research has established robust links between gang membership, delinquency, violence and victimization. Yet studies examining the process of gang desistance in general and that of core gang members in particular, are quite rare. The current study aims to identify factors associated with desistance of core gang members as well as describe the nature of the process that these "formers" have undergone. Thirty-nine core ex-gang members (80% males and…
The Intergenerational Effect of Maternal Multicultural Experience on Children's Tolerance
Although recent research has demonstrated the benefits of multicultural experience for reducing personal levels of intergroup bias, the potential for an intergenerational effect has yet to be explored. Using samples of Jewish-Israeli (Study 1a) and Palestinian-Israeli (Study 1b) mother-child dyads, we found that maternal multicultural experience was indirectly related to greater social tolerance among children via lower levels of maternal need fo…
Relationships between Religious Struggles and Well-Being among a Multinational Muslim Sample
This investigation applied a cross-sectional comparative methodology to examine the levels, predictors, and consequences of religious struggles among a multinational sample of 706 Muslims recruited in three universities in Israel/Palestine, Turkey, and Malaysia. Participants were asked to provide demographics and complete measures of religious struggles, satisfaction with life, and generalized anxiety. Three main findings emerged from the study: …
The links between religious coping and subjective well-being among Israeli-Muslims who lost a beloved person through death
This study examined the relationships between religious coping and indices of subjective well-being among 132 Israeli-Muslims who lost a beloved person through death. Participants provided demographic and death-related information, and completed measures of religious coping, satisfaction with life, positive/negative affect. Positive correlations were observed between positive religious coping and both satisfaction with life and positive affect, a…
Negative Affect, Fatalism, and Perceived Institutional Betrayal in Times of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Background: A growing number of studies report that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in diverse aversive psychological reactions and created a global mental health crisis. However, the specific mechanisms underlying the negative emotional reactions as well as the differences between countries are only beginning to be explored. The present study examined the association of COVID-19-related fear and negative affect in Israel and Switzerland. The …
Psychology (32 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (28 works) · Social Psychology (28 works) · Clinical Psychology (16 works) · Social Psychology (12 works) · Religion and Society Interactions (10 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Theology (10 works) · Medicine (9 works) · Philosophy (9 works)