Date
7-2018
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision (PhD)
Chair
Fred Volk
Keywords
Behavioral Addiction, Churches and Pornography Use, Evidence-based Treatments, Faith-based Treatments for Sexual Addiction, Internet Pornography Use, Sexual Addiction
Disciplines
Counseling | Counselor Education | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Neill, Vicki, "Problematic Sexual Beliefs and Behaviors in the Church: A Content Analysis of Faith-Based Curricula Related to Evidence-Based Interventions" (2018). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 1793.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/1793
Abstract
Internet pornography use, sexual problems, and sexual addiction are problematic not only for society but also for the church. The religious community needs interventions that can effectively treat sexually addictive and non-addictive problems that do no harm to individuals. The purpose of this study was: (a) to examine five faith-based curricula available for use in churches to determine whether they include key evidence-based treatment (EBT) components found effective in treating sexual addiction, and (b) to determine whether these curricula differentiate between addictive versus non-addictive sexual behaviors. Because no known studies have been conducted to examine faith-based treatment (FBT) curricula for EBT key components, the research design for this study was a qualitative inductive content analysis. The results showed that all five FBT curricula include EBT key components but the FBTs varied in how many EBT components they contained. The results also showed that only one of the five FBTs differentiates between and offers different treatment approaches for addictive versus non-addictive sexual behaviors. The recommendations were that the FBTs should expand their curricula to incorporate more EBT components, implement assessment measures to differentiate between addictive versus non-addictive sexual behaviors, and provide approaches that differentiate between sexual addiction, non-sexual addiction, and moral/sin issues. With these added components, the FBT curricula can make a significant difference in helping the church deal with sexual addiction, which can also positively influence the spiritual climate in the church.
