Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

J. Gayle Beck

Committee Member

Annette Mahoney

Committee Member

Rane Ankney

Committee Member

Rory Pfund

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is defined as physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, or psychological aggression by a current or former intimate partner or spouse (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Recognized as a pervasive public health concern, approximately 41% of women report experiences of sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking, and over 61 million women report experiencing psychological aggression, all at the hands of an intimate partner (Leemis et al., 2022). The pervasive nature of IPV is particularly concerning as experiences of violence can result in significant negative physical and psychological health concerns, including the development of PTSD and an increased likelihood of hazardous alcohol use. As negative outcomes are commonly reported following IPV exposure, it is imperative to consider the role of moderating factors that may impact this association. The available literature indicates the ways in which an individual engages with coping behaviors following trauma may directly impact experiences of resilience and subsequent post-trauma outcomes. More specifically, religious coping, delineated into patterns of “positive” and “negative,” has been found to play a significant role in this association, although investigation within an IPV sample is somewhat limited. As such, the current study sought to examine the associations between intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure, PTSD, and hazardous alcohol use, and the extent to which positive and negative religious coping served as a moderator of these associations. The sample included 127 women who identified as having experienced IPV in their lifetime. Data collection targeted women living in Southern states in the US as research suggests geography influences religious beliefs (Dwyer, 2016) and religious expression may differ by geographic location. Sample demographics indicated participants were primarily white (67.7%) and non-Hispanic (85%). Regarding indices of religiosity, the majority of the sample identified as or somewhat religious/spiritual (84.2%) and the primary denomination was Christian (52.8%). The Revised Conflict Tactics Scale-2 (CTS-2) was used to measure frequency of IPV exposure; Posttraumatic Checklist for the DSM-IV (PCL-5) was used to measure PTSD symptomology; Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDT) was used to measure hazardous alcohol use; and the Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief-RCOPE) was used to measure positive and negative religious coping. Two path analysis models were conducted using Mplus v8 to examine associations between variables of interest and the potential moderating effect of positive and negative religious coping on PTSD and alcohol use following IPV exposure. Results indicated 1) a significant exposure-response relationship for IPV and PTSD, suggesting more frequent IPV exposure was associated with greater PTSD symptom severity. This association was not observed for IPV and alcohol use; and 2) a significant, positive association between negative religious coping and both PTSD and alcohol use, suggesting greater negative religious coping was associated an increase in both outcomes. Positive religious coping was not significantly associated with any variable of interest. Additionally, moderation was not observed in either model in the current sample. These results add to a relatively sparse literature regarding positive and negative religious coping following IPV and indicate that negative religious coping, specifically, may serve to exacerbate adverse outcomes following partner violence. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest.

Notes

Open Access

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