Date

4-7-2026

Department

School of Health Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences (PhD)

Chair

Beth Sexton

Keywords

interpersonal trauma, Latinx, adverse childhood experiences, religious coping

Disciplines

Public Health

Abstract

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the role religious coping plays in recovery from interpersonal adverse childhood experiences (ACES) among Latinx adults attending Pentecostal churches in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The theory guiding this study was Pargament’s Theory of Religious Coping (1997), which posits that religious coping strategies are ways in which individuals attempt to understand and deal with sacred- related negative life events, including traumatic experiences (Xu, 2015). This study utilized a hermeneutic phenomenology research design. The purposive sample consisted of 12 individuals who self-identified as Latinx, 18 years of age or older, and having a history of ACES. This study took place in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and data was collected through individual interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. The research questions of this study were: What are the lived experiences of Latinx adults with interpersonal ACES exposure who turned to religion for support? How did religion and spirituality impact the recovery process among Latinx adults with interpersonal ACES exposure? How is current mental health status impacted differently by the utilization of positive religious coping strategies than by the utilization of negative religious coping strategies?

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