Anxiety and Avoidance in Adults and Childhood Trauma Are Associated with Negative Religious Coping

Religion as a coping strategy is mostly connected with positive health outcomes. Yet, negative religious coping (NRC) has been associated with rather negative outcomes that affect one's health. The aim of this study was to explore whether insecure adult attachment and childhood trauma are associated with higher NRC. A sample of Czech adults (n = 531, 51.1 ± 17.2 years; 43.5% men) participated in a survey. As measures, the NRC subscale of the Brief RCOPE, the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) were used. From the whole sample, 23.7% respondents reported higher NRC. Respondents with higher anxiety in close relationships were more likely to use negative coping strategies, with an odds ratios (OR) of 1.27 (95% confidence interval 1.01-1.59). Similarly, avoidance was associated with negative coping OR = 1.41 (1.13-1.75). Moreover, each subscale of the CTQ-SF revealed a significant association with high summary NRC. Respondents who reported physical neglect scored highest on summary NRC with OR = 1.50 (1.23-1.83) after controlling for sociodemographic variables, but also for anxiety and depression. Our findings support the idea that childhood trauma experience and adult attachment style are associated with higher use of NRC strategies.