Date

4-29-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Kim Jichan

Keywords

Childhood sexual abuse, adverse childhood experiences, abuse/neglect, suicide, suicide ideation, relationship difficulties, anxiety, depression, attachment disorder, substance abuse, prayer, Bible study/reading, public/private worship, repentance, forgiveness

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological study sought to understand the impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and what mitigating factors can help alleviate the pain and suffering caused by their residual life-long impacts. A literature review was done, and a gap was found on the subjects of personal spiritual disciplines (PSDs) of prayer, Bible reading/study, public/private worship, repentance and forgiveness as mitigating factors for the impacts of ACEs. This study recruited 15 participants who identified as victims of ACEs and used PSDs as mitigating factors to overcome the lifelong impacts. Interviews were done, using an online forum, to question participants on their experiences and what has or has not helped them to overcome the impacts of ACEs, focusing on PSDs of prayer, Bible reading/study, public/private worship, repentance and forgiveness. After the interviews were completed, a thematic analysis was performed on the data to identify 10 themes. These themes revealed how PSDs impacted the lives of the participants and helped them overcome the debilitating effects of ACEs.

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