Spiritual Coping, Distress, and Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Following Traumatic Injury
Date of Award
Spring 2009
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Saunders, Stephen
Second Advisor
de St. Aubin, Ed.
Third Advisor
Wierzbicki, Michael
Abstract
When faced with significant or minor negative life events, many people look to spirituality as a resource for effective coping. Larson and Larson (2003) reviewed studies investigating spiritual coping and found that a large proportion of mental health patients tum to their spiritual community and to their relationship with God for comfort. They further emphasized that mental health professionals must recognize the value of spiritual care in order to meet the religious and spiritual needs of mental health patients (Larson & Larson, 2003). Spiritual coping has received increased attention in the field of psychology as researchers attempt to understand the relationship that exists between spirituality and mental health (Graham, Furr, Flowers, & Burke, 2001; Mascaro & Rosen, 2006; Young, Cashwell, & Scherbakova, 2000). In addition to providing a buffer to stress reactions, spirituality has proven to be a valuable resource in coping post-trauma (Fallot & Heckman, 2005; Reinert & Bloomingdale, 1999; Matheis, Tulsky, & Matheis, 2006; Tasker, 2003)...