Term of Award
Summer 2026
Degree Name
Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Psychology
Committee Chair
Rebekah Estevez
Committee Member 1
Michael Nielsen
Committee Member 2
Karen Naufel
Abstract
Religious/spiritual (r/s) abuse involves the mistreatment of individuals within religious or spiritual contexts, often resulting in psychological and spiritual harm (Ellis et al., 2022; Johnson & VanVonderen, 1991). Although research examining the potential benefits of religion and spirituality has proliferated, harm stemming from religious/spiritual experiences remains relatively understudied (Ward, 2011). This study investigated associations between r/s abuse severity, complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) symptoms, and psychological well-being. To identify potential protective factors, the moderating role of perceived social support in the relationships between r/s abuse and CPTSD and well-being outcomes was examined. Additional exploratory variables included current spirituality and religiosity, the community context in which r/s abuse occurred (i.e., rural, urban, or other), and mental healthcare use to process religious/spiritual experiences. Data were drawn from 325 adults with a range of experiences in Christian or Bible-based religious/spiritual communities. Linear regression moderation analyses and multivariate analyses of variance were conducted. Results indicated greater r/s abuse severity was associated with higher CPTSD symptoms and lower well-being. Perceived social support and current spirituality did not significantly moderate these relationships. However, current religiosity intensified the negative association between r/s abuse severity and well-being, though it did not moderate the relationship between r/s abuse severity and CPTSD symptoms. Participants who sought mental health services to process r/s abuse reported greater CPTSD symptoms and higher abuse severity than those who did not, though no significant group differences emerged in well-being or perceived social support. No significant differences in outcomes were observed across abuse community contexts. These findings contribute to the emerging literature characterizing r/s abuse by documenting its psychological consequences and exploring factors that may shape post-abuse trajectories. Results also support growing calls to expand trauma frameworks beyond DSM-5-TR criteria to better account for the psychological toll of extra-criterion trauma.
OCLC Number
1520497282
Catalog Permalink
https://galileo-georgiasouthern.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01GALI_GASOUTH/1r4bu70/alma9916621330502950
Recommended Citation
Murphy, E. (2025). Resilience in the wake of faith-based trauma: Investigating the role of social support in complex posttraumatic stress and well-being after religious/spiritual abuse [Doctoral dissertation, Georgia Southern University].
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
