Although religion and spirituality (R/S) can be a protective factor for many, R/S can also be maladaptive in the form of R/S abuse and trauma. R/S abuse and trauma can have a significant impact on one's psychological functioning and has been positively associated with anxiety, depression, trauma-related symptoms, and R/S struggles. However, relatively few studies have explored the relationship between R/S abuse and attachment to God. This study helps address this gap in research by exploring the potential associations between R/S abuse and attachment to God in a sample of 308 adults who endorsed a current and/or past R/S identity. The current study found that (a) individuals with marginalized identities reported higher rates of R/S abuse than those with fewer or no marginalized identities, (b) individuals who reported more frequent R/S abuse reported higher levels of R/S struggles, depression, anxiety, and trauma-related symptoms, even when controlling for other experiences of trauma and abuse, (c) length of time since one's conversion moderated the association between R/S abuse and God attachment anxiety and avoidance but not R/S deidentification, and (d) God attachment anxiety and avoidance did not moderate the relationship between R/S abuse and trauma-related symptoms or R/S deidentification. I conclude by discussing my findings considering attachment theory and the extant literature on R/S abuse. By better understanding R/S abuse, clinicians will be better equipped to interact with clients of diverse R/S identities, potentially utilizing R/S as a strength in addition to addressing the maladaptive aspects of R/S.

The past two decades have seen a surge of research publications in the psychology of religion, with most studies affirming the salutary effects afforded by religious functioning. However, current mental health researchers have advocated for more nuanced examinations of religious constructs and more careful analysis of potentially harmful aspects of religiosity. Particularly absent from the psychological literature are the mental health effects religious beliefs may exert on parishioners. Researchers note that this is surprising given the general psychological tenet that beliefs are inextricably bound-up with affective states and general mental health. Responding to the admonition of researchers in the field, this study proposes and tests an initial model of psycho-spiritual abuse. The proposed model of psycho-spiritual abuse hypothesizes that religious beliefs such as the theological doctrine of original sin, fundamentalist ideology, lack of self-forgiveness, and negative God-representations, in addition to familial upbringing, may negatively impact an individual’s view of self, thus fostering psychological distress. In particular, this study considers scrupulosity disorder, depression, and shame to be the primary psychiatric maladies engendered by psycho-spiritual abuse. Two hundred thirty five parishioners from 18 Christian faith groups across the United States participated in an online survey consisting of standardized measures of original sin, fundamentalism, self-forgiveness, god image, perceived parental rearing, scrupulosity, depression, and shame. A canonical correlation analysis was conducted because it allows for the simultaneously testing of the relationship between the criterion variables (i.e., scrupulosity, depression, and shame) and predictor variables (i.e., original sin, religious fundamentalism, self-forgiveness, parental rearing perceived as rejecting, emotionally warm, and overprotective, as well as accepting, presence, and challenging God-representations) of interest. Results reveal that greater degrees of belief in the theological doctrine of original sin as well as greater adherence to religious fundamentalist ideologies are directly and indirectly associated with scrupulous and depressive symptomatology as well as with shame-prone feelings and actions in unhealthy ways. Results also indicate that God-representations also play an essential role in scrupulosity, depression, and shame in hypothesized ways. Hence, such results further implicate the centrality of religious ideologies in the expression of psychopathology. Additionally, results seem to suggest that the direct familial contribution to the expression of psychopathology among parishioners appears to be weaker (i.e., secondary) than that of religious beliefs; this statement is based on the fact that perceived parental rearing practices were secondary contributors to the synthetic variable of psycho-spiritual beliefs in both Function 1 and 2. Finally, these results suggest that the primary mechanism through which religious beliefs as well as familial upbringing impact parishioner psychological well-being is the resulting view of the self they engender. Therefore, results suggest that the proposed model of psycho-spiritual abuse is sound. / text

The purpose of this research journey was twofold: (1) to investigate the ways in which the lives of women married to clergymen have been influenced by their position in the Dutch Reformed Church and (2) to collaboratively present ways of caring and supporting these women living within this reality. Discourse analysis explored the taken-for-granted truths and power relationships that inform these women's daily lives. Fifteen women embarked on this feminist narrative participatory action research journey, not only to tell their stories but also to negotiate for change in current practices as well as their own contexts. This research journey challenges the institutional structure of the Church through narratives of hope, survival and pain, as storied in a book (Lamentations and Butterflies, 2003), that were collaboratively constructed by the women living these realities. This book and research journey offers a deeper understanding of the experience of being a clergyman's wife in the Dutch Reformed Church. / Practical Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)

The purpose of this research journey was twofold: (1) to investigate the ways in which the lives of women married to clergymen have been influenced by their position in the Dutch Reformed Church and (2) to collaboratively present ways of caring and supporting these women living within this reality. Discourse analysis explored the taken-for-granted truths and power relationships that inform these women's daily lives. Fifteen women embarked on this feminist narrative participatory action research journey, not only to tell their stories but also to negotiate for change in current practices as well as their own contexts. This research journey challenges the institutional structure of the Church through narratives of hope, survival and pain, as storied in a book (Lamentations and Butterflies, 2003), that were collaboratively constructed by the women living these realities. This book and research journey offers a deeper understanding of the experience of being a clergyman's wife in the Dutch Reformed Church. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)