Anxious attachment to God and scrupulosity mediate the negative effects of uncertainty on well-being among believers

Past research has shown that scrupulosity inconsistently mediates the otherwise positive relationship between religiosity and well-being, while uncertainty and God-related attachment anxiety have also been shown to influence these processes. The present study sought to experimentally examine the effects of uncertainty on well-being, with anxious attachment to God and scrupulosity functioning as mediators of this process. Participants (N = 301) who believe in God (or supernatural agents) were randomly assigned to either uncertainty, dental pain, or picturesque scenery conditions before completing measures of the proposed mediators and indices of mental health. Sequential mediation results indicated that the effects of uncertainty on well-being were partially, and on anxiety were fully, mediated by anxious attachment to God (MV1) and scrupulosity (MV2). These findings highlight dangers of maladaptive religious schemas becoming more influential under conditions of uncertainty, making negative mental health outcomes more likely. Limitations and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.