Measurement and predictors of mental well-being in community samples in the Philippines during the COVID-19 crisis: does religious coping matter?

ABSTRACT This study examined 1) the psychometric properties of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) among Filipinos (N = 360) during the COVID-19 crisis, and 2) the moderating role of positive religious coping on the link between perceived stress and mental well-being among community samples in the Philippines. Findings of the confirmatory analysis revealed that the WEMWBS is a psychometrically sound tool in assessing the mental well-being of Filipinos during a global health crisis. Moderation analysis demonstrated that positive religious coping attenuated the negative influence of stress on mental well-being. In particular, the negative impact of perceived stress on mental well-being was significant and strong when the level of positive religious coping was low. Further, the negative impact was significant but weak when positive religious coping was high. The present findings are useful in integrating religious coping into mental health interventions in community samples during a global health crisis.