UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL BULLETIN  

ANNOUNCEMENT  

Florida International University  

University Graduate School 

Doctoral Dissertation Defense  

Abstract  

Trauma, Spirituality/Religiosity, and Self-Regulation in Family Systems  

by 

Maria J. Metaweh 

Early family adversity – household risks including exposure to violence, substance use, housing instability, and among others – can disrupt children’s self-regulation, increasing risk to behavioral problems. Adversities that are high but late, intermittent, or chronically high, for instance, can decrease youth self-control (Jones et al., 2022). Spirituality/religiosity (S/R) is well documented to protect physical and emotional wellbeing; however, its impact on self-regulation (specifically, impulsivity) and family relationships (maternal-child attachment), in context of early family adversity, is not well understood. This study used the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing longitudinal dataset (N = 4,898), a stratified random sampling design oversampling U.S. non-marital births in 1998-2000, to assess the extent to which maternal S/R mitigates early family adversity to protect teen developmental outcomes. Of these, we examined mother- and child-reported data over five waves across fifteen years from the subsample of families who completed an in-home study in year-3 (n = 918). Adjusting for covariates, we (1) regressed teen-endorsed impulsivity on mother-reported early family adversity (chronicity and timing) and (2) tested moderated mediation through maternal religiosity (mediator), testing the direct and indirect effects of mother-endorsed year-3 attachment (moderator). The pathway from early family adversity to teen impulsivity depended on the timing of adversity and attachment style. Maternal religiosity did not mediate the pathway between early childhood family adversity and teen impulsivity; however, high late adversity in early childhood was significantly associated with greater maternal religious transformations. Findings may support clinical and faith practitioners and systems to harness family strengths relationships and resilience.  

Date: June 29th, 2026  Department: Psychology       

Time: 12:00 PM             Major Professors: Dr. Stacy Frazier 

Place: DM 258 & Zoom (Link). Dr. Asia Eaton