Date of Award

Fall 4-24-2024

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Department/Major

Psychology

First Advisor

BreAnne Danzi

Second Advisor

Cindy Struckman-Johnson

Third Advisor

Jean Caraway

Keywords

depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, spirituality, religion

Subject Categories

Psychology

Abstract

Higher levels of religiosity and spirituality (R/S) have been associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms (Lucchetti, Koenig, & Lucchetti, 2021; Braam & Koenig, 2019). While it is unknown why the relationship exists, it may be a result of the social support obtained from attending a place of worship (Gwin et al., 2020). The relationship between anxiety and R/S is far more mixed, with studies having found both positive and negative correlations (Lucchetti, Koenig, & Lucchetti, 2021). It is theorized spirituality may be used to cope with anxiety both negatively (e.g., God hates me) and positively (e.g., God wants to challenge me) (Rosmarin and Leidl, 2020). Additionally, little is known about the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and spirituality. However, the literature supports a relationship between the two, but whether they are positively or negatively correlated is unclear (Chen & Koenig, 2006). The purpose of this project is to investigate the impact of parent-reported R/S on children’s depression, anxiety, and PTSD after a surgical procedure. Participants include parents with children between the ages of 7 and 17 who have undergone a surgical procedure within the past 12 months. Parents who met these eligibility criteria completed an online survey; their children were also invited to participate in the study and complete an online survey. No relationship between parental R/S and child depression, anxiety, and PTSD was found. Further research on these constructs is needed.

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.