Disclosure to God as a Mediator Between Private Prayer and Psychological Well-Being in a Christian Sample

Abstract

Although a number of studies have reported the psychological and physical benefits of prayer, only a few have examined the means by which prayer affects health. Winkeljohn Black et al. (J Relig Health 54(2):540–553, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-014-9840-4) found disclosure to God as a mediator in the relationship between prayer and mental health. In their study, the authors used Poloma and Pendleton’s (Rev Relig Res 31(1):46–53, 1989. https://doi.org/10.2307/3511023,) model of prayer. This study examined whether disclosure to God as a mediator can be upheld with Laird et al.’s (Int J Psychol Relig 14(4):251–272, 2004) prayer model. The study included 285 Polish adults (50.2% of women), aged between 18 and 60 years. The Multidimensional Prayer Inventory, the Revised Distress Disclosure Index, and the Psychological Well-Being Scale were applied to the research. The results showed that the prayer of thanksgiving correlated positively and the prayer of supplication negatively with well-being. Two indirect effects were significant, indicating disclosure to God as a mediator of the confession—well-being link and the supplication—well-being link.