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Responding to Spiritual Struggles: Experiential Avoidance and Mindfulness in Adjustment

Dworsky, Carmen Kay Oemig
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1416137972

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Psychology/Clinical.
Research and theory have demonstrated that spiritual struggles are robustly tied to distress and ill health. Growth and positive outcomes are also possible. However, there is little research illuminating the factors that contribute to growth or decline in the wake of spiritual struggles. Mindfulness and Acceptance, as conceptualized in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, have been tied to positive and negative adjustment, respectively. The present study was designed to examine the relationships between experiential avoidance, mindfulness, and adjustment in a sample of 307 adults experiencing spiritual struggles. The predictions were that experiential avoidance would be associated with poorer adjustment and that mindfulness would be associated with better adjustment. It was also predicted that the relationships between spiritual struggles and poorer adjustment would be stronger among people with higher than lower levels of experiential avoidance. Finally, it was predicted that the relationships between spiritual struggles and less problematic adjustment would be stronger among people with higher than lower levels of mindfulness. The findings generally supported the hypotheses that experiential avoidance is problematic for people experiencing spiritual struggles. With a few notable exceptions, mindfulness, as measured in the present study, was not significantly related to indices of adjustment. Some support was found for the hypothesis that the detrimental effects of spiritual struggles on adjustment would be greater among people with higher than lower levels of experiential avoidance. These findings were particularly robust for the measure of situation-specific experiential avoidance. These findings are discussed along with implications and future directions.
Kenneth Pargament, Ph.D (Committee Chair)
William O'Brien, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Michael Zickar, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Pricilla Coleman, Ph.D (Committee Member)
201 p.
Clinical Psychology; Psychology; Psychotherapy
Spiritual struggle; experiential avoidance; mindfulness; acceptance and commitment therapy; religion; spirituality; avoidance; acceptance

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Dworsky, C. K. O. (2014). Responding to Spiritual Struggles: Experiential Avoidance and Mindfulness in Adjustment [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1416137972

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Dworsky, Carmen. Responding to Spiritual Struggles: Experiential Avoidance and Mindfulness in Adjustment . 2014. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1416137972.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Dworsky, Carmen. "Responding to Spiritual Struggles: Experiential Avoidance and Mindfulness in Adjustment ." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1416137972

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1416137972
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© 2014, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.