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1.1 Background of the Study In 2014 the valley of Kashmir had witnessed a destructive and tragic flood due to heavy rainfall which has caused a loss of thousands of lives and property. Many people have lost their loved ones, their houses, property, belongings. People suffered both physically as well as mentally. Devastating life conditions result in helplessness and hopelessness among the victims; in such depressive circumstances religion or spiritual involvement provides a sense of hope, meaning and positivity and access to social support networks (Lim & Putnam, 2010; Smith, Pargament, Brant, & Oliver, 2000; Weaver, Koenig, & Ochberg, 1996). Religion or spirituality helps some people in the process of coping or healing with traumatic events (Pargament, Koenig, & Perez, 2000). Religious practices and beliefs like prayer, church/attendance, self-rated religiousness and spirituality are directly related to positive health outcomes, as supported by a large number of research studies (Koenig, McCullough, & Larson, 2001; Pargament, 1997). Spirituality seems to play a vital role in the development of positive hope within people. If a person performs religious or spiritual practices as a way of coping, he or she can gain a ray of hope regarding the upcoming future. Dispositional hope, a concept of positive psychology related to achieving the desired goal may also lead to posttraumatic growth (Snyder et al., 1991). Hope consists of more emotional and inspirational characteristics in comparison to optimistic behavior (Ai, Peterson, Tice, Bolling, & Koenig, 2004). Ai, Cascio, Santangelo, and Campbell conducted a study in 2005 on 9/11 victims indicating an association between posttraumatic growth and hope which results in better adjustment. Traumatic incidents can result in various negative physical and psychological outcomes; it was proved in a large number of researches that traumatic or distressing events might have long-lasting dark impacts on the life of the victims. However, various recent studies have shown a modification in the negative effects of the trauma towards more positivity. In the case of victims of natural disasters, positive changes can be best assessed with the help of posttraumatic growth (PTG). A person who
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