God, where are you?: Evaluating a spiritually-integrated intervention for sexual abuse

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-session, spiritually-integrated intervention for female survivors of sexual abuse with spiritual struggles. Two clients (ages 39 and 49) participated in manualized sessions from the intervention, Solace for the Soul: A Journey Towards Wholeness©, with an individual therapist. An interrupted time-series design included daily measurements of positive and negative religious coping, spiritual distress, and spiritual self-worth, as well as comprehensive measures of spiritual well-being, religious coping, and images of God pre and post-intervention, and 1–2 months later. Both clients increased in positive religious coping, spiritual well-being, and positive images of God. In addition, ARIMA intervention analyses revealed significant changes during the course of the intervention (e.g., increased daily use of positive religious coping). Spiritually-integrated programs, such as Solace for the Soul, show promise in enhancing spiritual recovery from childhood sexual abuse.