Christians' attachment to God and mental health : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
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Date
2007
DOI
Open Access Location
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Massey University
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Abstract
This study used a prospective design to examine the relationship between attachment to God and certain aspects of mental health on a Christian sample. 1265 participants responded to a survey which assessed their attachment to God, attachment to others, mental health variables, such as depression, positive and negative affect and well-being. Three to five months later, the same survey was re-administered to 437 of the initial participants who agreed to take part a second time. Hypotheses predicted that higher levels of anxious and avoidant attachment to God would be associated with poorer levels of mental health, that the results would remain significant after controlling for attachment to others and initial mental health, and that higher levels of stress would moderate the relationship between attachment to God and mental health variables. Findings provided support for a strong association between attachment to God and mental health, and a less strong association between avoidant attachment to God and mental health. Attachment to God showed stability over time, and stress only moderated the relationship between anxious attachment to God and well-being. This result remained significant after controlling for attachment to others and time 1 mental health.
Description
Irregular pagination: page 4 missing
Keywords
Christians, Mental health, Religious aspects, Christianity, God, Worship and love