Transcending the negative: Spiritual struggles and resilience in older female trauma survivors

Qualitative data were gathered during a spiritually focused intervention with older women. Participants (n = 36) had experienced some combination of childhood sexual or physical abuse, emotional abuse, domestic violence, and/or sexual assault over their life span. The women described an array of positive spiritual coping strategies, including their persistent action to find God by transcending negative or "man-made" images of God given to them by their religious traditions. They reported persistence in their faith journeys despite spiritual struggles with God, clergy, and their church communities. These findings have implications for mental health practitioners and clergy who work with older women.