Childhood Experiences in Church of Origin as Predictors of Adult Attachment to God

Abstract

Attachment theory has been extended beyond human relationships to also help explain humanity’s relationship to the divine through the construct of attachment to god (Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1990). While research has established childhood attachment to caregivers as a significant predictor of adult attachment to god (Kirkpatrick, 2005), the predictive role of childhood church experiences has yet to be examined. This study measured the influence of childhood church experiences upon adult attachment to god above and beyond influence attributable to childhood attachment to parents. Online questionnaires were administered to 83 seminary students containing measures of adult attachment to god as well as retrospective measures of childhood attachment to parents, religious social support in childhood church, and exposure to different portrayals of God through teachings in childhood church. Results of hierarchical regression analyses partially supported study hypotheses. Results indicated that support from a church leader in childhood negatively predicted anxious attachment to God in adulthood, and childhood exposure to teaching emphasizing the loving nature of God negatively predicted avoidant attachment to God in adulthood. These findings suggest the importance of examining childhood church experiences when seeking to understand the level of attachment security one experiences to God in adulthood.