Date

4-2020

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Daniel Marston

Keywords

Posttraumatic Growth, Trauma, Loss of Resources, Religious Coping

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between loss of resources and posttraumatic growth when moderated by positive and negative religious coping in a sample of West Grand Bahamians who experienced Hurricane Matthew in 2016. It was hypothesized that religious coping would moderate this relationship and contribute to the development of posttraumatic growth and that the relationship would be influenced by the type of religious coping used. Only individuals who experienced resource loss as a result of the storm, who self-identify as a Christian, and who were residents of the community both during the storm and during the research period were used in the study. Participants were administered the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, the Brief Religious Coping scale, and the Conservation of Resources Evaluation. Study findings suggest that participants endorsing a positive religious coping style, and who were employed or married with a higher annual income, were more likely to experience posttraumatic growth. Loss of resources shared a small to moderate, positive association with posttraumatic growth but was not a strong predictor of the experience. The study’s implications, limitations, and areas for future research are discussed.

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