Relationship among attachment to God, religiosity, adverse childhood experiences, and grit

The current study examined the relationships among adverse childhood experiences, self-reported religiosity, grit score and attachment to God. Participants were undergraduate students at a private, Christian university. Participants completed the Attachment to God (ATG) Inventory, the Grit Inventory, the Duke University Religious Index (DUREL), and the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire. Avoidant ATG was found to be negatively correlated with all three subscales of the DUREL while anxious ATG was negatively correlated with non-organized religious activity. Anxious ATG was positively correlated with overall scores on the ACEs inventory as well as with scores on the abuse subscale. Grit was found to be negatively correlated with both avoidant and anxious ATG. In conclusion, adverse childhood experiences may influence an individual’s relationship with God leading to insecure attachment. Individuals with an anxious ATG style may view stressors in life as a result of abandonment from God resulting in the use of fewer functional coping strategies and less grit. Individuals with a secure ATG may be more likely to find meaning amid their suffering resulting in greater motivation to persevere when faced with hardships, hence reporting higher levels of grit.