Turning to the Sacred: The Role of Religious/Spiritual Coping in Psychological Outcomes of Childhood Interpersonal Trauma

Author

• Vanessa S. Tomasik, Georgia Southern UniversityFollow

Term of Award

Summer 2027

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

C. Thresa Yancey

Committee Member 1

Jeff Klibert

Committee Member 2

Michael Nielsen

Abstract

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are widespread and associated with significant and lasting psychological consequences, including posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and dissociation. Much of the existing literature has focused on adult trauma or narrowly examined childhood abuse and neglect, with comparatively limited attention given to other forms of childhood adversity such as witnessing intimate partner violence, parental separation, or household dysfunction. As a result, the differential psychological impact of distinct types of ACE exposure (i.e., maltreatment vs. household dysfunction) remains insufficiently understood. Emerging literature on coping identifies religious and spiritual (R/S) coping as an important factor in trauma adaptation. Positive R/S coping is associated with resilience, posttraumatic growth, and lower levels of distress, whereas negative R/S coping is linked to greater psychological symptoms. While some research has examined the role of R/S coping in relation to PTSS following exposure to trauma in childhood, its potential influence on the relationship between ACEs and dissociation remains largely unexplored. The current study sought to answer the following questions: (1) Is there a relationship between exposure to interpersonal trauma (i.e., ACEs) and PTSS? (2) Is there a relationship between exposure to interpersonal trauma (i.e., ACEs) and dissociation? (3) Does R/S coping moderate these relationships? (4) Do trauma-related outcomes vary by type of ACE exposure? and (5) Does engagement in R/S coping differ among those living in rural versus urban areas? Results indicated that greater exposure to ACEs was significantly associated with higher levels of PTSS and dissociative symptoms. Contrary to hypotheses, positive R/S coping did not moderate the relationships between ACEs and PTSS or dissociation. However, trauma-related outcomes differed significantly by type of ACE exposure, with maltreatment-based adversity demonstrating particularly strong associations with both PTSS and dissociation. These findings highlight the importance of attending to specific types of childhood interpersonal trauma as well as underscore the need for greater understanding and integration of R/S factors in clinical practice.

Recommended Citation

Tomasik, V. S. (2026). Turning to the Sacred: The Role of Religious/Spiritual Coping in Psychological Outcomes of Childhood Interpersonal Trauma [Doctoral dissertation, Georgia Southern University]. Georgia Southern Commons.

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No