Abstract

This qualitative research investigates the spiritual resilience of Catholic and Buddhist volunteers at a Thai foundation that aids traumatized children to examine how their religious convictions shape their coping strategies and resilience. In-depth interviews were carried out with three volunteers chosen via snowball sampling, all possessing over a year of experience and exhibiting notable spiritual resilience. The results indicate that, while all volunteers encountered comparable challenges and were not primarily motivated by religion, their resilience was significantly shaped by their religious beliefs. The Catholic volunteer employed a theistic and integrated approach drawing strength from a relationship with God and his community. The approach includes engaging in personal scripture study, communal worship, and proactive faith practices. In contrast, the Buddhist volunteers adopted introspective, principle-driven strategies focused on non-attachment: one through compassionate, devotional acts such as merit-making to foster inner tranquility, and the other through Buddhist philosophical examination and mindfulness to methodically understand suffering. Despite these distinctions of empathetic outward actions versus inward cognitive reframing, all three volunteers attained reduced emotional reactivity, increased emotional stability, and maintained professional commitment. The findings underscore the complex role of faith in enhancing resilience.