Symposia
Vulnerable Populations
Salman S. Ahmad, M.S.
Graduate Student
University of Miami
Miami, Florida
Merranda M. McLaughlin, M.S.
Graduate Student
University of Miami
MIAMI BEACH, Florida
Amy G. Weisman de Mamani, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
Muslims report low mental health service utilization, often due to a preference for religious and spiritual (R/S) coping, negative psychological help-seeking attitudes, and internalized mental health stigma (i.e., self-stigma). However, Muslims living in the United States (MLUS) are facing rising discrimination and poor mental health. Muslims may be using R/S beliefs, practices, and emotions to avoid engagement with psychological difficulties (i.e., spiritual bypass). Spiritual bypass has been cross-sectionally studied in various cultural groups since the development of the Spiritual Bypass Scale-13 (SBS-13; Fox et al., 2017). SBS-13 has two subscales, Spiritualizing and Psychological Avoidance, and is associated with both R/S coping and negative help-seeking attitudes in other groups. This study assessed the psychometric properties and one-year test-retest reliability of SBS-13 in a representative sample of 350 MLUS, and investigated its relationship to help-seeking attitudes (via ATSPPH-SF) and self-stigma (via SSOSH). Results demonstrated comparable psychometric properties of SBS-13 in MLUS to other groups, and provided preliminary evidence of its test-retest reliability (n = 59). Spiritual bypass total scores were associated with negative help-seeking attitudes and greater self-stigma, both cross-sectionally and at follow-up. Spiritualizing was associated with self-stigma at Time 1, and predicted both self-stigma and help-seeking attitudes at follow-up. Psychological Avoidance was associated with negative help-seeking attitudes at Time 1, but not at follow-up. Spiritual bypass (and the SBS-13) may offer insights into help-seeking attitudes and self-stigma in MLUS. It is important to investigate whether addressing spiritual bypass in Muslims, via greater awareness or clinical/spiritual interventions, leads to improved help-seeking.