This study developed and validated the Spiritual Resilience in Islamic War Settings (SRIWS) Scale, a culturally grounded tool capturing the multidimensional spiritual experiences of Palestinian Muslims under sustained occupation. Grounded in Attachment to God Theory, Meaning-Making Theory, Religious Coping Theory, and the Theory of Religious and Spiritual Struggles, the scale was refined through qualitative consultation and tested with 582 university students from the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the 1948 territories. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a stable four-factor structure: Spiritual Engagement and Growth During Adversity, Trust in Allah’s Divine Will, Religious Practices in War, and Spiritual and Faith Struggles. Results indicated high spiritual resilience (mean = 4.13), strong engagement (4.17), and trust in divine decree (4.47), alongside low spiritual struggles (2.30). Gender significantly affected all dimensions with large effect sizes, while place of residence influenced spiritual struggles, higher in refugee camps. Religious commitment enhanced resilience and reduced distress.

Title

Mental Health, Religion & Culture

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Publisher Country

United Kingdom

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

0.8

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

--

Year

2026

Pages

1-18