Attachment and quality of life in Australian religious African diasporas : a mixed methods study

Developmental processes involving social relationships and attachment behavioural system have been extensively studied over the last two decades. However, little is known about how these experiences may contribute to health-related quality of life (HQoL) outcomes in migrant contexts, including that of the African diaspora. This project aims to contribute to cross-cultural psychological experiences by examining how different types of attachment in adults are understood to inform relationships and coping with stress and place change in a migration context. This is done by investigating the relationships between attachment to Australia, attachment to God relational spirituality, and HQoL outcomes (including psychological health, environmental health, physical health, and social relationship quality) among Australian African diasporas using both quantitative (N=261) and qualitative (N-15) research methods. In the quantitative phase of the study, it was first hypothesised that attachment to Australia and other sense of place attitudes will be positively associated with HQoL outcomes; this hypothesis received firm support. Second, it was estimated that the adult attachment experience of the participants, involving relational spirituality, in the form of attachment to God will be positively associated with HQoL outcomes; it was further proposed that this relationship will be contingent on the educational background of the participants. This hypothesis was confirmed in a moderation analysis, suggesting the moderating role of attachment to God in the link between educational background and HQoL outcomes. Third, it was further hypothesised that there will be an interaction effect between attachment to Australia and attachment to God on HQoL outcomes. However, contrary to proposed hypothesis there was no significant interaction effect between both attachment processes, suggesting that they may be developing from a different attachment motivational system. Results show strong levels of attachment among the participants, in that they were attached to Australia as an important place in their lives and attached to God as a source for negotiating their day-to-day quality of life. In the qualitative phase, results of the quantitative studies were examined in more depth using follow-up interviews. First, it was found that indeed the respondents were developing pro-environmental coping strategies by developing place affect, place behaviour, and place cognition in response to the experience of forced acculturation that they are confronted with. Although respondents’ pro-environmental coping strategies were helpful in regulating their quality of life and social belonging in Australia, they were rather used as a maneuver to respond to the stigma associated with being perceived as ‘immigrants’ or ‘outsiders’ in their new abode. Second, respondents’ relational spirituality was expressed as a multidimensional religious coping construct involving personal, social, and environmental dimensions, which were central in dealing with their migration challenges and life stressors. Findings about the role of attachment in a migration context could be considered as an adjustment/support strategy that those working with migrants could integrate in the support services that they offer them. Healthcare professionals working with migrants need a more sophisticated understanding of their attachment processes and adaptability to place change in relation to their coping behaviours and quality of life. This can include creating training workshops on the efficacy of adult attachment styles for building resilience in migrant communities; awareness about the challenges associated with migration and migrant attachment; and funding for research on the negative impact of attachment separation in migrant communities. Thesis by publication

Missionising Youth Identity Crisis:Towards a missional hermeneutic of care in youth ministry practice

The intention of this paper is to interpret the ontological conditions of youth identity crisis missionally. This is first done by conceptualising identity crisis as a psychological phenomenon using frameworks of authenticity and attachment to explain the impact of early attachment abuse, abandonment depression, insecure attachment anxiety with God, and self-regulation on the identity formation of the youth. Secondly, the paper introduces a missional hermeneutic that provides an interpretative framework for coping with the crises of identity amongst young people. A missional hermeneutic of care for coping with the crisis of identity formation, therefore, elaborates on the missional basis of biblical interpretation as a powerful framework within which to interpret a skewed, conflicted identity. The author herewith proposes a missional opportunity that can activate the missional consciousness of young people in their time of crisis and identity formation. Furthermore, the author insists that this missional methodology can be a very useful strategy for producing therapeutic change in young people and can help youth ministry workers and pastoral caregivers to reframe the crisis of youth identity from the perspective of 'missio Dei'

Being authentic is the new image:A qualitative study on the authenticity constructions and self-images of Christian millennials in Africa

The article is a qualitative study that focuses on the authenticity and self-constructions of Christian millennials in Africa. While exploring how 15 respondents manifested their authentic self-behaviours using a case study design, the hallmark of the study was to observe the common coping mechanism of self-regulation, adopted by respondents to deal with their internal crisis. This coping strategy was employed as they remained true to self by creating new “authentic” images of themselves in the forms of the borderline self, the promissory self, the hyphenated self, and the religious self. By implication, looking at the issue of authenticity from an African context has produced an African conceptualisation of authenticity. I argue that African authenticity can be understood by interpreting Africa’s voices of self-expression and images of self-definition, resonating within various African contexts in hope for some kind of cathartic and authentic living experience

Understanding God images and God concepts:Towards a pastoral hermeneutics of the God attachment experience

The author looks at the God image experience as an attachment relationship experience with God. Hence, arguing that the God image experience is borne originally out of a parent�child attachment contagion, in such a way that God is often represented in either secure or insecure attachment patterns. The article points out that insecure God images often develop head-to-head with God concepts in a believer�s emotional experience of God. On the other hand, the author describes God concepts as indicators of a religious faith and metaphorical standards for regulating insecure attachment patterns. The goals of this article, however, is to highlight the relationship between God images and God concepts, and to provide a hermeneutical process for interpreting and surviving the God image experience.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Given that most scholars within the discipline of Practical Theology discuss the subject of God images from cultural and theological perspectives, this article has discussed God images from an attachment perspective, which is a popular framework in psychology of religion. This is rare. The study is therefore interdisciplinary in this regards. The article further helps the reader to understand the intrapsychic process of the God image experience, and thus provides us with hermeneutical answers for dealing with the God image experience from methodologies grounded in Practical Theology and pastoral care

The Psychology of Youth Faith Formation:A Care-giving Faith?

The present study explores the individual differences in the experience of faith formation using the framework of attachment theory, as it looks at what inspires attachment behaviours toward God. The experience of faith formation is herewith conceptualised in this study as a care-giving experience, watered by reciprocity of proximity with a divine attachment figure. The findings suggest four individual pathways in which the faith of young people was formed. These pathways were seen as remedies for previous insecure attachment experience with unavailable human attachment figures, and as a means of enhancing an already positive attachment with human relational partners. In-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen Christian youths of various racial backgrounds who were active members of different church denominations in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa. The data collected from the respondents suggests youth faith formation as an attachment phenomenon

Pastoral juxtaposition in spiritual care: Towards a caregiving faith theology in an evangelical Christian context

The problem for many troubled youths seeking help within a Christian context is that their need for meaningful connections and spiritual growth is attached to relationships with their significant others. When needs of attachment are not adequately met due to the effect of an insecure attachment working model in a relationship with God, the teen may end up leaving the faith community seeking a new caregiver or regress into spiritual struggles, depression, anxiety, self-doubt and other negative emotions. This paper responds to the issues associated with youth attachment behaviour towards God using a caregiving theology (i.e. pastoral juxtaposition) that draws on the ‘power of two’ through incarnational creativity and pneumatological ecclesiology. This proposed theology first supplements the work of the pastoral counsellor to create a transformative container through which young people, already within a redemptive Christian community, can grow spiritually and deepen their relationship with God. Secondly, pastoral juxtaposition targeting the spiritual needs of hurting youths serves to create a magnet space within the church community that models incarnational love, pastoral care and support for young people by entering their world order to reframe their personal stories of grief, abandonment and insecurity through creative means. Finally, we theologise that pastoral juxtaposition also integrates the power of the Holy Spirit, as the ultimate caregiver in times of conflict, into each youth’s unique journey of faith and healing. Implications of this pastoral theology are discussed and applied to everyday life

Between God and Self: exploring the attachment to God and authenticity/inauthenticity tendencies of South African Christian youths

The paper explores the relationship between attachment to God (AG) and authenticity/inauthenticity among Christian youths in relation to a range of socio-demographic variables. Cross-sectional data were collected from 100 South African Christian youths using measures of AG and authenticity/inauthenticity. The correlation results reveal that feelings of insecurity in terms of having anxiety in a relationship with God is positively related to self-alienation (feeling out of touch with oneself) and accepting external influences (conforming to the standards and expectations of others), but negatively correlated to authentic living (being in tune with one’s self). Feelings of insecurity in terms of avoidant God-attachment was also related to self-alienation. In addition, demographic differences were observed for gender and church denomination. These results suggest that insecurity with God may either be linked to feelings of authenticity or self-estrangement among Christian youths and have broad implications, both for clinical usage and further cross-cultural research