The Role of Religious Involvement in the Relationship Between Early Trauma and Health Outcomes Among Adult Survivors.

Katia G Reinert,Karen Bandeen-Roche,Jerry W Lee,Jacquelyn C Campbell,Sarah Szanton

doi:10.1007/s40653-015-0067-7

Katia G Reinert, Karen Bandeen-Roche + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-015-0067-7

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of religious involvement and related indicators - religious coping, intrinsic religiosity, forgiveness and gratitude - in reducing the negative impact of early traumatic stress on the mental and physical health of adult survivors. Multiple linear regressions were used to analyze self-reported data of 10,283 Seventh-day Adventist men and women across North America. The study also included an original analysis on a subsample (n = 496) of the larger group, examining diabetes risk factors in conjunction with Adverse Childhood Events (ACE) data. Higher early trauma scores were associated with decreased mental health (B = −1.93 p < .0001) and physical health (B = −1.53, p < .0001). The negative effect of early trauma on mental health was reduced by intrinsic religiosity (B = .52, p = .011), positive religious coping (B = .61, p = .025), forgiveness (B = .32 p = .025), and gratitude (B = .87 p = .001). Adult survivors of early trauma experienced worse mental and physical health; however, forgiveness, gratitude, positive religious coping, and intrinsic religiosity were protective against poor mental health. The findings support a holistic perspective in the care of childhood trauma survivors.

Highlights

Traumatic stress (ETS) has been documented as a predictor of adult negative mental and physical health (J. Campbell et al 2002; Felitti et al 1998)
It is important to note that unlike the ACE studies, these results show a link of exposure to as few as one type of abuse whereas in the ACE study led by Felitti and colleagues linking adverse childhood experiences to adverse health in adult survivors, the higher prevalence of disease was seen primarily with exposure to three or four types of ACE, whereas exposures to one or two types of ACE ranged from 0.7 to 1.0 in some cases (Felitti et al 1998)
Despite the limitations of this study, it indicates that there is a high prevalence of Early traumatic stress (ETS) among a large sample of Adventists despite their high level of education and high religious involvement and that these childhood traumas have a significant negative effect on overall physical and mental health as is true in general populations

Summary

Introduction

Traumatic stress (ETS) has been documented as a predictor of adult negative mental and physical health (J. Campbell et al 2002; Felitti et al 1998). Campbell et al 2002; Felitti et al 1998). Traumatic stress (ETS) has been documented as a predictor of adult negative mental and physical health These adverse childhood experiences (ACE) include child abuse, exposure to parental intimate partner violence (IPV), and other types of family dysfunction which have been linked in a dose–response fashion to a range of adverse health outcomes which include: substance abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and premature mortality as well as adult perpetration of and victimization from family violence Epidemiological links are strong, the mechanisms underlying these relationships have not been well delineated

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