TY - JOUR
T1 - Coping functions of prayer and posttraumatic growth
AU - Harris, J. Irene
AU - Erbes, Christopher R
AU - Engdahl, Brian
AU - Tedeschi, Richard G.
AU - Olson, Raymond H.
AU - Winskowski, Ann Marie M.
AU - McMahill, Joelle
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
PY - 2010/1
Y1 - 2010/1
N2 - Research on prayer and posttraumatic growth (PTG) indicates that those who pray report more PTG. Research is beginning to identify which types of prayer may be operating in this relationship. We sought to identify specific prayer functions related to PTG while considering differences due to the types of trauma experienced. Participants were trauma survivors from diverse, Midwestern Christian churches (N = 327). Participants completed questionnaires assessing trauma history, prayer coping functions, and PTG. Multiple linear regression analyses found that praying for calm and focus was independently related to higher levels of PTG. When considering all variables in the model, the relationship between prayer for calm and focus and PTG was not significant for those whose most significant trauma was interpersonal in nature, but significant for those with noninterpersonal trauma.
AB - Research on prayer and posttraumatic growth (PTG) indicates that those who pray report more PTG. Research is beginning to identify which types of prayer may be operating in this relationship. We sought to identify specific prayer functions related to PTG while considering differences due to the types of trauma experienced. Participants were trauma survivors from diverse, Midwestern Christian churches (N = 327). Participants completed questionnaires assessing trauma history, prayer coping functions, and PTG. Multiple linear regression analyses found that praying for calm and focus was independently related to higher levels of PTG. When considering all variables in the model, the relationship between prayer for calm and focus and PTG was not significant for those whose most significant trauma was interpersonal in nature, but significant for those with noninterpersonal trauma.
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U2 - 10.1080/10508610903418103
DO - 10.1080/10508610903418103
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:74349111325
SN - 1050-8619
VL - 20
SP - 26
EP - 38
JO - International Journal for the Psychology of Religion
JF - International Journal for the Psychology of Religion
IS - 1
ER -