Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair and Members

Sara Haden, Chair

Phillip Wong

Cory Chen

Keywords

c-PTSD, Complex trauma, Dissociation, Forgiveness, Meaning-making, Religiosity

Abstract

Recognized as a severe and pervasive disorder resulting from repeated, prolonged, and inescapable trauma, complex posttraumatic stress disorder (c-PTSD) is often characterized by fundamental alterations in consciousness and a loss of systems of meaning. This study sought to explore the mechanisms through which religiosity, as a system of meaning, might impact dissociation severity and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in those with c-PTSD. Participants included a non-clinical sample of 266 adults from a wide range of religious/spiritual backgrounds who endorsed some form of childhood maltreatment. Results demonstrated that c-PTSD severity significantly predicted greater dissociation severity, and was also positively associated with religiosity, though religiosity did not mediate the relationship between c-PTSD and dissociation. Results of moderated mediation analyses revealed a significant interaction between c-PTSD and meaning-making in predicting religiosity, though the direction of the effect did not align with the initial hypothesis. Exploratory analyses revealed that c-PTSD had a significant effect on PTG, indicating that higher levels of c-PTSD were associated with greater self-reported PTG. Neither religiosity nor dissociation emerged as significant mediators in this relationship. A bivariate correlation revealed a significant association between c-PTSD and dissociative amnesia, supporting the conceptual link between chronic trauma exposure and disruptions in memory and consciousness. The implications of these findings are discussed in greater detail.

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