Attachment to God as a source of struggle and strength : exploring the association between Christians' relationship with God and their emotional wellbeing

Abstract

Research has highlighted the significant implications of spirituality for mental \nhealth and therapy. However, a key facet of spirituality yet to receive adequate \nresearch attention is people’s experience of their relationship with God. One useful \ntheoretical framework recently applied to this relationship is attachment theory. \nResearch suggests that many people experience their relationship with God as an \nattachment bond, and that styles of attachment to God (ATG) may have implications \nfor mental health similar to human attachment. However, few studies have directly \ninvestigated the relationship between ATG and mental health, and limitations of these \nstudies make it difficult to draw conclusions. The present study provides a more \nrigorous exploration of this relationship through the use of a cross-lagged research \ndesign, advanced statistical modelling, and investigation of potential moderators \n(gender and negative events). A convenience sample of 531 Christian adults was \nsurveyed at two time points approximately four months apart. ATG was measured on \ntwo dimensions: ATG-avoidance (avoidance of intimacy with/dependence on God) \nand ATG-anxiety (preoccupations and fears regarding God’s rejection). Higher levels \nof baseline ATG-anxiety predicted poorer emotional wellbeing at Time 2, after \ncontrolling for baseline emotional wellbeing. This effect was stronger amongst \nparticipants experiencing a high level of negative events. Findings also indicate a \npotential mechanism for this effect. Specifically, ATG-anxiety was associated with a \ntendency to appraise negative events as indicating God’s abandonment/punishment. \nThese appraisals mediated the relationship between ATG-anxiety and emotional \nwellbeing. In contrast, low levels of ATG-anxiety buffered the effects of negative \nevents. The effects of ATG-anxiety were significant only amongst males, contrary to \nhypotheses. ATG-avoidance did not show hypothesised effects on emotional wellbeing \nin either gender. Possible limitations of the ATG-avoidance measure were noted, and \nmay have influenced findings. Suggestions were made as to how future studies might \naddress this potential measurement issue and other limitations of the study. Findings \nindicate that ATG theory may have useful therapeutic applications, as proposed by \nprevious researchers. Specifically, the ATG framework may be useful for \nconceptualising clients’ relationship with God and its effects on mental health, \nalthough establishing this will ultimately require testing in clinical samples.

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