Meaning Making: The Influence of Religion, Trauma History, and Social Support on
Depression and Posttraumatic Stress
Neal A. Bauer, M.S.
Individuals exposed to adverse life events such as early childhood abuse, must cope with the impacts of these events. One coping strategy involves “meaning making,” whereby the individual tries to make meaning out of the adverse event and thereby improving their well-being and reducing the overall impact of event. Recent research suggested that “religion” can be an important factor in the meaning making framework and may have a great impact on the well-being of individuals exposed to adverse life events. This archival study examined religious importance and religious attendance in relation to abuse history and psychological symptoms, specifically depression and posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. In addition, while it is generally known that perceived social support acts as a buffer against negative outcomes or directly effects one’s mental health for the better, this study investigated these features of religious involvement in contrast to perceived social support. Results demonstrated that there was no significant relationship between religious importance and depression or PTS symptoms, and religious attendance and depression symptoms. However, while there was a significant positive relationship between religious attendance and PTS symptoms, religious attendance was not found to be a significant mediator between abuse history and PTS symptoms. Further, it was observed that perceived social support was a significant mediator between abuse history and PTS, but not depression symptoms. Implications of these findings are presented.
Keywords: religion, meaning making, trauma, depression, PTSD, social support