Virtues as Mediators of the Associations Between Religious/Spiritual Commitment and Well‑being
Religious/spiritual commitment tends to show positive associations with wellbeing, and yet, questions remain about the mechanisms for the association. Some have recently proposed that virtues may mediate the religious/spiritual commitment – wellbeing association. However, empirical support for this mediating role stems largely from cross-sectional studies. Further, scholars have increasingly drawn attention to validity concerns when studying religiousness/spirituality, virtues, and wellbeing. Read more
The Influence of Experiential Avoidance, Humility and Patience on the Association Between Religious/Spiritual Exploration and Well‑Being
Prior research on the religiousness/spirituality—well-being association has largely neglected the dimension of religious/spiritual exploration, and the recent trend examining virtues, religiousness/spirituality, and well-being has predominantly involved cross-sectional data. We expanded prior research by analyzing a longitudinal model consisting of three waves of data… Read more
The Impact of Financial Health on the Spiritual, Mental, and Relational Health of Christian Graduate Students
Financial stress is a growing concern for Americans. One population that is particularly susceptible to financial stress and its negative consequences are students enrolled in seminaries—many of whom will graduate with large amounts of debt while entering a profession with unique financial challenges that can make repaying student loan debt a daunting task. Read more
The Experience of Financial Well‑Being, Shame, and Mental Health Outcomes in Seminary Students
The experience of pursuing a graduate seminary education is rife with many stressors, including the heavy financial burden required to fund a seminary degree. Shame, understood as an experience of being unworthy and inadequate at one’s core, may be a natural reaction to financial hardship, as many individuals may believe their inadequacy is the cause of their financial difficulties. Read more.
Experiential Avoidance Mediates the Relationship between Prayer Type and Mental Health before and through the COVID-19 Pandemic
This study examined how different types of prayer affect mental health outcomes among seminary students during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that colloquial, liturgical, and meditative prayer were associated with lower levels of anxiety, depression, and burnout. These relationships were fully mediated by lower experiential avoidance, suggesting that certain prayer practices support mental health by helping students stay engaged through struggle. Read more.