The Relationship between God Attachment, Transdiagnostic Processes, and Symptoms of Psychopathology among Christian Adults

Abstract

In this study, we drew from the psychology of religion and clinical literatures to investigate the relationship between insecure God attachment, key transdiagnostic processes, and symptoms of psychopathology. Specifically, with an archival sample of online Christian adults (N = 437), we explored the potential mediating influence of three popular, well-researched constructs (i.e., experiential avoidance, intolerance of uncertainty, and repetitive negative thinking) in the transdiagnostic literature to explain the link between anxious and avoidant God attachment and common symptoms of psychopathology (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress). Results revealed that all three transdiagnostic constructs mediated the association between anxious and avoidant God attachment and depression, anxiety, and stress. Clinical applications are briefly discussed for Christians struggling with unhelpful transdiagnostic processes, as are study limitations.