The relationship between religious coping, homesickness, self-worth and post-traumatic stress levels among Uyghur Turks

A person encounters various negativities and struggles with some difficulties throughout his life. One of these difficulties is migration. The reason and nature of this action are as important as the act of migration. An individual who is away from his/her familiar lands and loved ones feels a great longing for his/her home and family. In addition, the difficulties that force him to migrate cause his mood to be damaged and his resilience to break down. Faithful individuals are expected to show resilience to psychological problems by getting support from their religion and beliefs. However, the nature and form of this resistance may vary from individual to individual. In addition, the person's perception of self-worth towards himself is often affected by external conditions, and religious practices, family support, and approval play an important role in shaping the individual's self-value. The main purpose of this study is to determine the post-traumatic stress level of Uyghur Turks, who were forced to migrate from their homeland due to the oppression, cruelty, assimilation and intimidation policies they experienced and took refuge in Turkey due to their ethnic identity, and to determine the level of post-traumatic stress they felt towards their country. The aim is to reveal the degree of their longing and to determine the resistance they have shown against these negativities by getting support from religion. In addition, it is aimed to reveal to what extent the self-worth perceptions of Uyghurs, who are very attached to their religion, family and loved ones, are shaped depending on external conditions. The sample of the study consists of 302 Uyghur Turk individuals over the age of 18, who were interviewed face to face and surveyed in the provinces of Istanbul and Kayseri. Quantitative research method was used in the research. Religious coping, homesickness, post-traumatic stress and conditioned self-worth issues, Religious Coping Scale, Utrecth Homesickness Scale (USÖ), Impact of Events Scale (IES-R), Conditional Self-Worth Scale and Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale ( It was examined using IDMS). According to the results obtained in the study, homesickness and conditional self-worth were high in Uyghur Turk individuals, who had a gap between themselves and their homeland and were prohibited from communicating through official means. In addition, it is seen that religious coping is high and post-traumatic stress level is average in these immigrants who struggle with their religious identities in the face of negative situations. Keywords: Migration, Psychology of Religion, Uyghurs, Religious Coping, Homesickness, Post-Traumatic Stress, Conditional Self-Worth