Fox, Kirsti; Solomino, Lauralee; Baird, Todd. (Weber State University)
Faculty Advisor: Baird, Todd (Weber State University: College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Psychology)
Trauma can have a lasting impact on emotional and physical health, but relief is possible. It is important to study which factors of everyday life can alleviate this pain and suffering. Research suggests that social support and resilience both play an important role in helping relieve symptoms of traumatic stress. Each of these can be broken down into sub-subjects and measured to determine the types of resilience and social support provide the most relief. One type of social support that has not been studied in regard to resilience and trauma is religious activity. However, it has been found that religious activity can provide a unique and strong social support system. The present study looks at religious activity, social support, and resilience all in regard to trauma. There are some limitations in the present study that resulted in insufficient data to accurately test the hypotheses. Future directions that control for the limitations may have more reliable results, therefore providing more accurate information on which of these factors helps to best relieve trauma symptoms.
Keywords: trauma, resilience, religion, social support