A LEAP OF FAITH: EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF GOD ATTACHMENT ON POSITIVE RISK-TAKING USING A MODERATED MEDIATION MODEL

Abstract

Taking good risks and trusting in God’s providence are strongly encouraged in Christian doctrine. This correlational study employed a moderated mediation model to investigate the mediating effect of God-centered self-esteem (GCSE) on the association between attachment to God (ATG) and positive risk-taking, with the indirect effect moderated by gender. Data was collected from a sample Christians comprising of both Protestants and Catholics. Analysis was conducted separately for anxious God attachment and avoidant God attachment. Additionally, positive risk-taking was divided into social and recreational risk-taking. Conditional process analysis was performed on the responses and found no support for the moderation mediation model. However, the model found that gender moderated the relationship between GCSE and recreational risk-taking. Females had a significantly increased likelihood of taking risks at higher GCSE whereas there was no significant effect in men. Upon further investigation using a simple mediation model, there was no mediation. However, a significant and positive association was found between avoidant God attachment and GCSE though there was no association between anxious God attachment and GCSE. Additionally, GCSE was associated with social risk-taking, but not recreational risk-taking.