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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Bowling Green State University
Atheism; religion; spirituality; depression; anxiety; spiritual struggles
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Spiritual Struggles Among Atheists: Links To Psychological Distress And Well-Being, Aaron E. Sedlar, Nick Stauner, Kenneth A. Pargament, Julie J. Exline, Joshua B. Grubbs, David F. Bradley
Spiritual Struggles Among Atheists: Links To Psychological Distress And Well-Being, Aaron E. Sedlar, Nick Stauner, Kenneth A. Pargament, Julie J. Exline, Joshua B. Grubbs, David F. Bradley
Psychology Faculty Publications
Religious and spiritual struggles (R/S struggles)—tension or conflicts regarding religious or spiritual matters—have been robustly linked to greater psychological distress and lower well-being. Most research in this area has relied on samples consisting predominantly of participants who believe in god(s). Limited research has examined R/S struggles among atheists, generally conflating them with agnostics and other nontheists. This study investigated the prevalence of R/S struggles among atheists and compared atheists to theists in two samples (3978 undergraduates, 1048 Internet workers). Results of a multilevel model showed that atheists experience less demonic, doubt, divine, moral, and overall R/S struggles than theists, but …