"Religion and Culture as a Protective Factor" Two-part post- Post One of Two

*Disclaimer* This post may trigger some readers, this is NOT my intent.

The next two series of posts will focus on “Religion and Culture” as protective factors. This post will focus on “Faith/Religion.” My ACE score is a six and my Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCE) score is a seven. One BCE question reads, “Did you have beliefs that gave you comfort?” Two youth pastors were highly influential non-adult relatives that provided guidance, shelter, and comfort during highly volatile points in my life. I acknowledge that the religion and the church have also provided intense trauma for many individuals and again, I apologize if this post is a trigger for anyone reading it.

The establishment of “Safety and Connection” for an individual are core principles in trauma-informed care. When either safety or connection is compromised this is when trauma and/or anxiety may begin or a trigger that will result in the activation of the stress response system. So what role does religion and or faith present as a protective factor? Dale Fletcher PACEs in the Faith-Based Community, in his PACES Connection post, provides keen insights that highlight participation in religious activities as a youth may help to protect against substance abuse as both a youth and an adult. I can attest to this on a personal level to the research in Daleʻs blog post.

In an August 2020 article, there is some evidence that the role of religion as a sense of belonging (connection) and a harbor for safety, can indeed be a protective factor.

Part Two of this post will take a look at the practice of culture as a protective factor.

Mālama,

Danny