Nortje, Diana (2016) The Mediating Effect of Attachment to God on the Relationship between Distress Tolerance and Depression. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
A case for the inclusion of religiosity in psychological practice is gaining momentum, with some studies associating religiosity with improved mental health and coping with stress. Attachment to God was found to be similar to human attachment relationships. Distress tolerance refers to the perceived ability to cope with stressful events and was found to correlate with depressive symptoms. Evidence was found that a secure attachment to God in religious individuals was associated with reduced depressive symptoms. This study explored whether attachment to God would mediate the relationship between distress tolerance and depressive symptoms. Data was collected via an online survey consisting of measures including the Attachment to God Inventory, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, and the Distress Tolerance Scale. Responses from 165 participants (22.7% male and 77.3% female) were analysed using correlation methods and mediation analysis. The results confirmed the negative correlation between distress tolerance and depressive symptoms. As expected, attachment to God correlated with distress tolerance. The hypothesis that attachment to God would mediate the relationship between distress tolerance and depressive symptoms, was confirmed. These results suggest that attachment to God might serve as a buffer, reducing the incidence of depressive symptoms when a person's distress tolerance is low. This could assist mental health professionals to more effectively assist religious clients. This study was limited by a cross-sectional design and over-representation of the younger generation. Future research could further our understanding of the role of attachment to God in the mental wellbeing of religious individuals.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Zahra Izadikhah |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Sep 2025 23:07 |
| Last Modified: | 08 Sep 2025 23:07 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Attachment to God ; distress tolerance ; depressive symptoms ; mediation |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52621 |
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