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Christian religious functioning and trauma outcomes
Author(s) -
Harris J. Irene,
Erbes Christopher R.,
Engdahl Brian E.,
Olson Raymond H. A.,
Winskowski Ann Marie,
McMahill Joelle
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20427
Subject(s) - prayer , psychology , faith , coping (psychology) , posttraumatic growth , distress , psychotherapist , spirituality , clinical psychology , social psychology , religious studies , theology , medicine , alternative medicine , philosophy , pathology
While some trauma survivors find their faith helpful in recovery, others find it a source of distress, and still others abandon their faith. More complex conceptualizations of religious functioning are needed to explore its relationship with trauma. This study explores such relationships using measures of religious action and behaviors in a community sample of 327 church‐going, self‐identified trauma survivors. A principal components analysis of positive and negative religious coping, religious comforts and strains, and prayer functions identified two dimensions: Seeking Spiritual Support, which was positively related to posttraumatic growth, and Religious Strain, which was positively related to posttraumatic symptoms. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 64: 17–29, 2008.