
Don DavisGeorgia State University | GSU · Department of Counseling and Psychological Services
Don Davis
PhD Counseling Psychology
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Publications (334)
The purpose of this study was to develop a five-item form of the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale (RSS; Exline et al., Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 6, 208-222, 2014), (2022). Drawing upon three samples – 711 depressed adults from prior studies that utilized the RSS (Study 1), 303 undergraduates from a public university in the Sou...
Objective: The purpose of the present study was to develop a brief version of the Cultural Humility Scale (CHS; Hook et al., 2013) to reduce participant burden in clinical settings. Method: In Study 1 (n = 247), we used confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and two-factor item response theory (IRT) models to create the Cultural Humility Scale – Short...
We use nationally representative longitudinal data from 46,377 New Zealanders (2018–2023) to estimate the causal effects of religious service attendance on multiple dimensions of well-being. We compare two hypothetical four-year scenarios: (a) everyone attends services at least four times per month, and (b) no one attends. We adjust for baseline co...
We investigate the causal effects of religious service attendance on prosocial behaviours using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of 33,198 New Zealanders collected between 2018 and 2021. Our study innovates in three ways: (1) we use longitudinal rather than cross-sectional data; (2) we incorporate measures of help received...
Although numerous self-report measures of humility have been developed, no behavioral measure has been scientifically vetted. We examined partner-rated relational humility and coded behaviors indicating state humility in couples (N = 69) transitioning to parenthood. Observed state humility behaviors were coded by examining video-recorded problem-fo...
Gratitude is a pivotal concept in the psychology of religion because it is one of the most frequently experienced emotions toward God. The authors developed a trait measure of Gratitude to God (GTG-T) and investigated the association between Gratitude to God and psychological and spiritual well-being in four studies. Study 1 provided evidence for t...
Spiritual first aid (SFA) trains disaster spiritual and emotional care providers to choose appropriate ways of responding to those who have experienced traumatic losses. The purpose of this study was to pilot a vignette-based strategy as a proof of concept for evaluating the effectiveness of SFA’s curriculum. Participants were 61 disaster spiritual...
Introduction
In this longitudinal study, we examine the potential costs and benefits of humility for well-being and civic trust among immigrants in a pluralistic democracy.
Methods
With data from 14,864 immigrant participants from a nationwide random sample in New Zealand, we used multilevel modeling to examine the associations of general humility...
Initial quantitative research has found that divine grace correlates with both forgiveness and humility, but little conceptual work has sought to elaborate on why these associations might exist. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to provide rich, context-based, qualitative data to explore how Mainline Protestant Christians experience the in...
Objective: The present study explored rates of burnout and racial trauma among 182 Black mental health professionals (BMHPs) and utilized racial–cultural theory to explore potential protective factors against burnout and racial trauma. Method: We collected data from 182 Black psychologists and counselors who were active mental health professionals...
Cultural humility is important in supervision; however, studies have primarily sampled White supervisees. Racially and ethnically minoritized trainees experience microaggressions during their training, yet cross-racial supervision is less often studied. We examined a moderated mediation model to test whether the supervisory working alliance mediate...
Causal investigations for the effects of religion on prosociality must be precise. One must articulate a specific causal contrast for a feature of religion, select appropriate prosociality measures, define the target population, gather time-series data, and, only after meeting identification assumptions, conduct statistical and sensitivity analyses...
Short empirically-supported scales or individual items are preferred in comprehensive surveys, brief screeners, and experience sampling studies. To that end, we examined the Short Almost Perfect Scale (SAPS) to evaluate empirical support for the interchangeability of items to measure perfectionistic strivings (Standards) and perfectionistic concern...
We sought to investigate whether making meaning from the COVID-19 pandemic might enhance positive spiritual and nonspiritual interpretations of the pandemic and in turn whether these appraisals would enhance gratitude to God. Participants (N = 272) were randomly allocated to one of three writing conditions: control, writing about their experience o...
Objective
Leader humility has been linked to many positive outcomes but not examined in humanitarian aid work. Three studies examined the multilevel correlates, contributions, and consequences of leader humility in Medair—a large, multinational, faith-based aid organization. Study 1 examined correlates of leader humility in a sample of 308 workers...
Few studies have examined cultural factors in the context of jail-based psychotherapy. Given that incarcerated populations often consist of larger proportions of racial/ethnic minoritized groups and lower socioeconomic status individuals, more culturally oriented services could improve treatment outcomes. The multicultural orientation (MCO) framewo...
Jails and prisons commonly offer mental health treatments as many people experiencing incarceration suffer from significant psychological distress and substance use problems. One modality through which individuals who are incarcerated receive care is psychotherapy; however, process and outcome data in this population are limited. More specifically,...
Religious and spiritual (R/S) abuse has been associated with a wide range of negative psychological and spiritual outcomes. However, few studies consider the potential impact of other experiences of trauma and abuse that individuals may have experienced in addition to R/S abuse. The present study examined the extent to which R/S abuse is associated...
The empirical study of grace, a relational virtue, is in its beginning stages. The purpose of this study was to provide rich, context-based, qualitative data to describe Mainline Protestants’ (a) experiences of, and (b) beliefs about, divine grace. Interviews were conducted with 28 community adults who were affiliated with Mainline Protestant Churc...
Individuals with mental health disorders are overrepresented in the criminal correctional system and these systems are one of the largest providers of mental health services. However, there is limited research on the effectiveness of services in correctional settings. Additionally, a large majority of individuals who are incarcerated express a desi...
Clinical supervision is a cornerstone of clinical training, and supervision experiences are associated with important outcomes (e.g., stronger working alliances and more trainee disclosures in supervision). Psychology has made strides in understanding how cultural processes unfold in supervision, with the multicultural orientation (MCO) model garne...
Designed for middle and high school students to rate the cultural humility levels among their teachers, this two-study article reports on the development and initial validation of the Cultural Humility Scale for Students (CHS-S), which was adapted from the original Cultural Humility Scale used in psychotherapy. Having cultural humility may facilita...
Humility is thought to be helpful for dealing with religious disagreement and conflict. Prior work on humility in actual relationships has focused on general humility or intellectual humility, but how is spiritual humility (i.e., humility before God or one’s higher power) related to relational outcomes during religious disagreements? In these analy...
This article concludes the special issue on the interdisciplinary study of intellectual humility. We offer five suggestions for addressing some of the key challenges facing scholarship. These suggestions include (a) finding sources of common ground, (b) focusing on areas of conceptual tension, (c) applying new methods, (d) tackling big problems tog...
A body of research has been dedicated to demonstrating the relationship of perfectionism with a range of mental health indicators. Self-critical perfectionism, a component of perfectionism, has been framed primarily in a negative light within the mental health context. Given that research informs educational and clinical practices, it is important...
Research on intellectual humility has accumulated rapidly. In this content analysis, we review existing published empirical work. We conducted searches using Google Scholar, ProQuest, and PsycInfo and found 59 articles with 134 samples. Most studies have focused on convenience samples and used similar measurement approaches – self-reports of intell...
We investigated the association between racial microaggressions and microaggressions against women in therapy and positive therapy outcomes. We also tested the potential intervening roles of cultural humility and working alliance in these associations. Participants were a sample of Black, Indigenous, Women of Color (BIWOC; N = 288) who had been in...
It is important for psychologists to engage cultural differences in an effective manner. Thus, it is critical to examine personal characteristics that might help psychologists develop cultural competence. The current article reviewed empirical studies that examined the relationship between differentiation of self and cultural competence. Differenti...
Recent studies have suggested that intellectual humility (IH) might facilitate (a) better learning outcomes, (b) more scientific mindedness, and (c) better peer and professional relationships. However, recent philosophical work has raised concerns that too much IH might lead to intellectual servility (IS), and thus might be vicious (albeit not blam...
Research has demonstrated that therapists’ multicultural orientation (MCO)—consisting of cultural humility, cultural comfort, and cultural opportunities—is key to client outcomes. The primary method for training psychotherapists is clinical supervision, and recent quantitative research provides preliminary support for the importance of MCO in clini...
The multicultural orientation framework (MCO), which has shown empirical promise as a pragmatic way to enhance cultural understandings in psychotherapy, appears equally important for psychotherapy supervision: Emerging conceptual/practical work and a bourgeoning base of empirical studies support MCO’s contribution to supervision processes and outco...
Exploring ways to foster cooperation amidst diversity in this politically turbulent era seems crucial. The present study explored the relationships among political humility, empathy, and forgiveness. Participants in the present study (N = 201) were from a large Christian university who recalled a time when they were offended due to a political disa...
As scholars who have been engaged in interdisciplinary emic measure development, we provide our reflections on the prospects and perils of this kind of engagement. We contrast the approach we have in mind with other interdisciplinary activities; we commend engaging social scientists, philosophers, and theologians in collaboration across all of the...
Religion and spirituality (R/S) play an important role in the lives of many. Although R/S can be a resource when coping with stress, it can also be a source of stress or trauma. We sought to review the extant empirical research on R/S abuse and trauma. Our systematic review identified 25 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The empirical findin...
Cultural humility, first introduced a quarter century ago, has increasingly emerged over the last decade as a concept of considerable importance: it has been touted as playing a crucial role in potentially enhancing the relationship in both psychotherapy and supervision, its practice being heartily embraced and roundly recommended. But are those re...
As scholars who have been engaged in interdisciplinary emic measure development, we provide our reflections on the prospects and perils of this kind of engagement. We contrast the approach we have in mind with other interdisciplinary activities; we commend engaging social scientists, philosophers, and theologians in collaboration across all of the...
We investigated the relationship between self-reported multicultural competence and social issues awareness among school counselors and raters’ assessment of multicultural orientation skills (cultural humility and cultural comfort) using a recorded mock counseling session. Results revealed a positive correlation between multicultural competence and...
Caring for orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) is an important characteristic of many major world religions. Historically, faith-based organizations have been heavily involved in providing services to OVC and recruiting families to participate in foster care and adoption. To receive federal funding, public policy has increasingly required more e...
Research on intellectual humility has grown, but little work has explored its role in moral decisions. Building on recent work on the Veil of Ignorance, we randomly assigned some participants to imagine being part of an existentially-threatening situation that could possibly lead to the greater good for society (i.e. The Human Challenge Experiments...
Survivors of disasters or traumatic experiences often experience religious/spiritual (R/S) and mental health consequences (e.g., anxiety, depression). In coping with these negative experiences, people draw on a variety of coping strategies. Past research highlights the role of R/S coping as an important factor for navigating disasters, traumatic ex...
Research has accumulated over the years to support the adage that ‘money can’t buy happiness.’ As an alternative to the high-consumption lifestyle often found in Western cultures, voluntary simplicity (also referred to as minimalism), involves a lifestyle that is focused on reducing consumption and the excess in one’s life so that individuals can f...
There have been significant changes in the American religious/spiritual (R/S) landscape in recent years, with fewer than half of all Americans reporting church membership. Nonreligious Spirituality (NRS) describes spiritual beliefs, experiences, and practices that emphasize spirituality apart from religion, and serves as an alternative for many ind...
In Ghana, collectivism holds people together in marital relationships, even if partners are religiously different. Married partners still hurt, betray, or offend each other and might develop avoidance or vengeful (i.e., unforgiving) motives. We investigated whether religious homogamy moderated connections of personality and marriage variables to un...
Extant research suggests perfectionism is a risk factor for developing disordered eating among women, and that self-compassion may mitigate risk factors in their associations with disordered eating pathology. However, less is known about these relations among women of color (WOC). The current study examined the moderating role of self-compassion in...
Until recently, psychologists have conceptualised and studied trust in God (TIG) largely in isolation from contemporary work in theology, philosophy, history, and biblical studies that has examined the topic with increasing clarity. In this article, we first review the primary ways that psychologists have conceptualised and measured TIG. Then, we d...
More than twenty different models of how forgiveness occurs have been proposed within forgiveness literature. One idea highlighted in many of these models was that forgiveness entails, at some point, a decision to forgive the offender. The Decision to Forgive Scale (DTFS) is a 5-item measure that allows the assessment of this construct. The aim of...
Across the globe, COVID‐19 has disproportionately affected the physical and mental health of several vulnerable groups. In a series of two cross‐sectional studies conducted April to July 2020, we examined its acute mental health effects on two vulnerable U.S. community samples—home‐bound older adults who were at or below the poverty line (Study 1,...
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect countless individuals. Traumatic events like COVID-19 can often lead to significant resource loss and negatively affect mental health. As a result, people often go through various types of struggles, including those that are religious or spiritual (e.g., existential doubt). Also, in the wake of trauma, peop...
Prior research has linked victimization to mental health outcomes, but more work is needed to understand factors that may serve a protective role. In the present study, in a sample of 290 undergraduates who had experienced bullying, we examined a moderated-mediator model in which self-esteem mediates the relationship between victimization and depre...
Traumatic events, such as natural disasters, often lead to significant resource loss for survivors, which can negatively affect emotional well-being. In these situations, it is common for people to draw on their religious or spiritual faith to cope with their pain and struggle. One construct that has received increased attention within the field of...
Objective: This prospective longitudinal study examined whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to changes in psychological and spiritual outcomes among adults with chronic disease. Method: Participants (N = 302) were a stratified, nonrandom sample of adults (Mage = 64.46, SD = 10.86, 45.7% female). The sample was representative of the...
Scholars and practitioners have increasingly called for the development of social justice commitment, intercultural competence, and appreciation of diversity among ministers and helping professionals. In religious contexts, individual factors may contribute to differences in the degree to which spiritual leaders emphasize intercultural and social j...
Natural disasters can disrupt and challenge survivors’ core belief systems, leading to negative health consequences. People often rely on religion/spirituality to help them cope and make meaning, but to date very few studies have specifically focused on exploring spiritually oriented expressive writing interventions with natural disaster survivors....
In the face of traumatic events, people often draw on their religious or spiritual resources to cope with their struggles. Spiritual fortitude (SF) refers to one’s ability to draw consistently on spiritual resources to transcend and endure negative emotions in the face of stressors (Van Tongeren et al., 2019). In this article, we present data from...
Previous research finds an association between spirituality and subjective well-being. However, the widespread use of poorly defined concepts of spirituality, tautological spirituality scales, and heavy reliance on cross-sectional samples cast doubts on prior findings. Here, we leverage ten waves of panel data from a nationally diverse longitudinal...
Multicultural orientation (MCO; Owen, Psychotherapy, 50, 2013, 496; Owen et al., Psychotherapy, 48, 2011, 274) is a framework for understanding how psychotherapists engage with their clients’ cultural identities within session and focuses on interpersonally humble processes rather than implementing specific skills that are unique to specific cultur...
This article explores the buffering role of religion and spirituality in the lives of people living with HIV (PLWH). Participants (N = 239) included a gender-balanced sample of African American (N = 131), White (N = 69), and Latinx/Other (N = 39) individuals living with HIV in an urban city in the Southwestern United States. Participants completed...
Religious people often seek help for mental health problems from their religious leaders. Yet, some religious leaders may not easily trust the mental health system. In this study, we employed latent profile analysis to explore differences in religious leader’s worldviews and how they relate to attitudes toward psychological science (N = 401). We pu...
In recent years, an upsurge of polarization has been a salient feature of political discourse in America. A small but growing body of research has examined the potential relevance of intellectual humility (IH) to political polarization. In the present investigation, we extend this work to political myside bias, testing the hypothesis that IH is ass...
Demonstrations led by right-wing extremist groups and racially motivated hate crimes have increased significantly since the 2016 election of Donald Trump (Edwards and Rushin in The effect of Trump’s election on hate crimes. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3102652, 2018). However, few studies have examined racially marginalized (RM) per...
In recent years, an upsurge of polarization has been a salient feature of political discourse in America. A small but growing body of research has examined the potential relevance of intellectual humility (IH) to political polarization. In the present investigation, we extend this work to political myside bias, testing the hypothesis that IH is ass...