Attachment and affective resolution following a stressful event: General and religious coping as possible mediators

Abstract

The current study replicated and extended previous research on mediators of attachment qualities and outcome (affective resolution), including appraisal, coping, and religious coping. Structural equation models were used to analyze the responses on an Internet survey for a primarily Christian sample of 1,289 adults (416 men and 873 women). As expected, appraisal was a significant mediator of ambivalent attachment qualities and coping, as well as ambivalent attachment qualities and religious coping. Avoidance coping significantly mediated ambivalent attachment qualities and affective resolution; it also mediated avoidant attachment qualities and affective resolution. Fit indices for models were adequate only when differences between interpersonal and non-interpersonal events were taken into account. Substantial similarities were found in the relationships among variables for the two models examined, one including coping in general and the other including religious coping. Religious coping provided additional explanatory value to more secular models of coping in a highly religious sample. The implications for assimilating religious coping into mainstream coping research are discussed.

Acknowledgments

Portions of this paper were presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, IL, August, 2002. We would like to thank Cherish Mendez, Mike Norusis, and Veronica Nguyen of CUA's Center for Planning and Information Technology for designing, implementing, and maintaining the web site, and Chris Harrison of the Office of Public Affairs for assisting with publicizing the study and the website. We would also like to thank Ralph Mueller, PhD, of George Washington University in Washington, DC for statistical consultation on this project.