Effects of Trauma and Religiosity on Self-Esteem

Sarah A. Reiland · Dean Lauterbach

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Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research Child Abuse and Trauma

Abstract

Self-esteem is often lower among persons who have experienced trauma, but religiosity may ameliorate these psychological effects. The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationships among religiosity, self-esteem, and childhood exposure to trauma, utilizing data from the National Comorbidity Survey, a large (N = 8,098) nationally representative population survey in the 48 contiguous states of the USA that assessed religious practices, self-esteem, and exposure to trauma. Exposure to trauma in childhood was assessed through self-report of presence or absence of childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect. Religiosity was assessed as the sum of responses to 4 self-report items (religious service attendance, use of religion for comfort and guidance, and importance of religion). Self-esteem was assessed on 9 self-report items adapted from the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Analysis of variance compared scores for persons who reported exposure to childhood abuse and differed in the value they placed on various religious practices on self-esteem. Persons who reported physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect in childhood had significantly lower mean self-esteem than those who did not report these events. There was also a main effect for religiosity in a comparison of persons who reported childhood sexual abuse with those who reported none. The High Religiosity group had higher mean self-esteem than the Medium and Low Religiosity groups. There was a significant interaction as those who reported childhood sexual abuse had lower mean self-esteem than peers who reported none in the Low and Medium Religiosity groups. Mean self-esteem for those who reported childhood sexual abuse was comparable to that of those who reported none in the High Religiosity group.

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References

1965Society and the Adolescent Self-Image 1998The Religion-Health Connection: Evidence, Theory, and Future Directions 1996The long-term impact of the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of children: A community study 2000Social Support and Strain from Partner, Family, and Friends: Costs and Benefits for Men and Women in Adulthood 1995Risk and Religion: An Explanation of Gender Differences in Religiosity 1995Gender and Values 1994Race and Gender Differences in Religiosity Among Older Adults: Findings From Four National Surveys 1987Gender Differences in Religion: A Test of the Structural Location Theory

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2019The role of early care and education in addressing early childhood trauma 2017The moderating role of trauma type on the relationship between event centrality of the traumatic experience and mental health outcomes.2019Construct Validity and Dimensionality of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Its Association with Spiritual Values Within Irish Population 2009Church‐Based Social Relationships and Change in Self‐Esteem Over Time 2015

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