The Role of Spirituality in Predicting Resilience and Subjective Well-Being: A Systematic Review of Contemporary Research

Abstract

Spirituality is increasingly examined as a psychological resource that may help individuals remain emotionally stable, interpret adversity in meaningful ways, and sustain a positive evaluation of life. This review synthesizes contemporary research on the relationship of spirituality with psychological resilience and subjective well-being. A focused, PRISMA-informed review approach was used to analyse six peer-reviewed studies representing meta-analytic, systematic-review, narrative-review, regression, theoretical, and qualitative designs. Across the selected literature, spirituality and religiosity were generally associated with greater resilience, better life satisfaction, more positive affect, and lower psychological distress. The most consistent explanatory pathways involved meaning in life, hope, constructive spiritual coping, emotional regulation, gratitude, forgiveness, and support derived from faith communities or other relational networks. The evidence was strongest for an association rather than a causal effect because much of the underlying research was cross-sectional and based on self-report measures. Considerable variation was also found in the definitions and instruments used to assess spirituality. The findings nevertheless indicate that spirituality can function as a culturally meaningful resource in counselling, education, positive psychology, healthcare, and community mental-health programmes when it is addressed ethically and in accordance with the individual's own beliefs. Future research should employ longitudinal designs, controlled interventions, and culturally validated measures to clarify causal pathways and determine the conditions under which spirituality supports resilience and subjective well-being.