Enduring and Struggling With God in Relation to Traumatic Symptoms: The Mediating and Moderating Roles of Cognitive Flexibility

摘要

This study examined how traumatic symptoms are associated with individuals' relationships to God. It was hypothesized that cognitive flexibility may mediate and/or moderate the effect of traumatic symptoms on struggling or enduring in faith. The results suggest that cognitive flexibility mediates, but does not moderate, the relationship between traumatic symptoms and struggling with God. As such, it appears that individuals struggle more with God as traumatic symptoms increase, although the extent that they struggle is lessened as cognitive flexibility increases. The results also suggest that cognitive flexibility moderates, but does not mediate, the relationship between traumatic symptoms and enduring with God. This finding implies that individuals with high and medium cognitive flexibility endure more with God as traumatic symptoms increase, while those with low cognitive flexibility endure less. It is proposed that cognitive flexibility influences the extent to which individuals struggle and endure with God when experiencing traumatic symptoms because it allows them to resolve the paradox of why a God they perceive to be all-loving, all-wise, and all-powerful would allow negative life events to occur. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.