The Role of Religious Involvement in the Relationship Between Early Trauma and Health Outcomes Among Adult Survivors

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of religious involvement and related indicators - religious coping, intrinsic religiosity, forgiveness and gratitude - in reducing the negative impact of early traumatic stress on the mental and physical health of adult survivors. Multiple linear regressions were used to analyze self-reported data of 10,283 Seventh-day Adventist men and women across North America. The study also included an original analysis on a subsample (n = 496) of the larger group, examining diabetes risk factors in conjunction with Adverse Childhood Events (ACE) data. Higher early trauma scores were associated with decreased mental health (B = −1.93 p .0001) and physical health (B = −1.53, p .0001). The negative effect of early trauma on mental health was reduced by intrinsic religiosity (B =.52, p =.011), positive religious coping (B =.61, p =.025), forgiveness (B =.32 p =.025), and gratitude (B =.87 p =.001). Adult survivors of early trauma experienced worse mental and physical health; however, forgiveness, gratitude, positive religious coping, and intrinsic religiosity were protective against poor mental health. The findings support a holistic perspective in the care of childhood trauma survivors.