My name is David Christy, I am an eclectic Pagan and doctoral candidate in the Pastoral Counseling Department at Loyola University Maryland. I'm recruiting participants for an online survey as a part of my dissertation research. The purpose of my study is to examine how coping resources, including faith and spirituality, can help individuals in the face of various stressors.

Most of our current psychological understandings of religion and spirituality are based on studies of Christians. I'm trying to expand and add nuance to that knowledge base by collecting data from a wide variety of religious traditions, with a focus on people practicing minority faiths (e.g., Pagans, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and so on). Christians and people with no religious affiliation are also encouraged to participate; this will allow me to draw meaningful comparisons between groups. The data generated by this study will help therapists, counselors, and social workers better understand the role of religion and spirituality in well-being.

Participation involves responding to several questionnaires that measure your experience, personality, spirituality, and personal functioning; as well as providing non-identifying demographic information. Completing all the surveys should take approximately 45 minutes.

If you are 18 years or older and interested in participating either click on the link below or copy and paste it into a web browser. Please also feel free to share the link to this study.

https://loyola.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6zAuJX7eB5hyNX7

This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board at Loyola University Maryland. You may contact the IRB at 410-617-2188. If you have any questions or concerns about this study, please contact me at the address listed below. David Christy, M.Div. Primary Investigator Department of Pastoral Counseling Loyola University Maryland 8890 McGaw Road, Suite 280 Columbia, MD 20145 [email protected] Thank you for your consideration and participation in this study.