Attachment to God as mediator of the relationship between God Representations and mental health

ABSTRACT

Religion and spirituality have frequently been associated with mental health and well-being. However, inconsistent results suggest that there may be mediating factors. God representations highlight individual differences in relating to the sacred, which may have implications for mental health. Attachment theory has also been related to God representations and mental health. This study examined the relationships between benevolent and authoritarian God representations, attachment to God, and mental health in a sample of graduate students. Benevolent God representations were negatively associated with mental health problems, and this effect was mediated by attachment to God. Future research directions and implications are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Relational spirituality
• God representations
• attachment theory
• mental health
• well-being