Resilience in the Aftermath of Childhood Abuse? Changes in Religiosity and Adulthood Psychological Distress

Matters of the Heart: Childhood Maltreatment, Religious Transitions, and Cardiovascular-Related Problems over the Life Course

“…Second, we found no protective role for increases or stable attendance in mitigating cardiovascular-related risk for victims of abuse. This is consistent with one prior study by Upenieks (2021), who found that changes in religious attendance at different points in adulthood did not buffer the mental health impact of early life emotional or physical abuse. This null moderation pattern is worthy of further reflection.…”

“…The present study focuses on attendance at religious services. Though the utility of religious attendance as a stress buffer has been well-documented generally (e.g., Schieman et al, 2013) and in the context of childhood maltreatment (Jung, 2018; Upenieks, 2021), it remains unclear whether stability or increases/decreases in religious attendance over the life course might assist or hinder its capacity to buffer the adverse health effects of parental abuse. To our knowledge, no existing study has considered whether transitions in religious attendance moderates (for better or worse) the deleterious impact of childhood maltreatment on long-term cardiovascular-related risk.…”

Differential Associations between Guilt and Shame Proneness and Religious Coping Styles in a Diverse Sample of Young Adults

“…Positive religious coping, on the other hand, was positively associated with psychological wellbeing among adult female rape survivors (Ahrens et al, 2010) and with post-traumatic growth and resilience among college students who experienced childhood sexual abuse and/or physical violence (Schaefer et al, 2018). In a longitudinal study, positive religious coping (namely, seeking comfort through praying, attending services, or talking to a religious/spiritual advisor) mitigated psychological distress among individuals who had experienced physical abuse in childhood (Upenieks, 2021). According to social baseline theory, sharing an emotional burden with others—in this case, with God, one’s congregation, or one’s religious leaders—might confer beneficial mental health outcomes (i.e., by improving one’s emotion regulation capabilities; Beckes & Coan, 2011).…”

Loneliness, ageism, and mental health: The buffering role of resilience in seniors

“…PD is a state of suffering characterized by symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress ( Kessler et al, 2002 ; Santos et al, 2015 ). Studies have shown that resilience has strong negative associations with PD ( Keyes et al, 2014 ; Upenieks, 2021 ). Among seniors, PD seems to be associated with several negative factors, namely, the occurrence of vulnerabilities (e.g., greater probability of physical dependence, limitation of freedoms and functional capacity, management of chronic diseases and comorbidities), worse socioeconomic conditions, poor psychosocial conditions, and weak social and family support network ( Evandrou et al, 2017 ; Santos et al, 2015 ; Sterina et al, 2021 ).…”