Date
6-17-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Mollie Evans-Boyd
Keywords
binge eating disorder, religious coping, gluttony, disordered eating, Black women
Disciplines
Counseling
Recommended Citation
Skinner, Nicole Rae, "A Phenomenological Study of Binge Eating Disorder and Trauma in Black Women Managed by Religious Coping" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8570.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8570
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the relationship between trauma, binge eating disorder (BED) and religious coping among Black women in America. Black women are faced with stereotypes such that they are expected to be strong, resulting in avoidance behaviors related to emotions. Core to the issue of BED is an inability to manage difficult emotions in a healthy manner, thus leading to the negative pattern of bingeing. Therefore, guiding this research were two key theories: Gross’s emotional regulation theory and Pargament’s theory of religious coping. The emotional regulation theory addresses how emotions are experienced and an individual’s need for a way to manage them while religious coping offers a means to cope with difficult emotions. Through the use of interviews and thematic analysis the goal of this research was to determine the viability of religious coping for treating BED in Black women.
