The Stress-Buffering Role of Spiritual Support: Cross-Sectional and Prospective Investigations

Abstract

The contribution of spiritual support (perceived support from God) to well-being, especially under conditions of high versus low life stress, has received little empirical study. In the present research, the relationship of spiritual support to well-being for several high and low life-stress samples was examined. With demographic variables controlled, regression analyses indicated that spiritual support: 1) was inversely related to depression and positively related to self-esteem for high life-stress (recently bereaved) parents; and 2) in a prospective (longitudinal) analysis with pre-college depression controlled, spiritual support was positively related to personal-emotional adjustment to college for high life-stress (three or more life events), first-semester college freshmen. Spiritual support was not significantly related to well-being for low life-stress subsamples. The implications of the findings for future research and intervention are discussed.