Religious deidentification may entail at least a temporary loss of resources for meaning-making and understanding life, which may in turn increase vulnerability to psychological distress (Van Tongeren et al., 2025). Drawing on Beck’s cognitive model (Beck & Haigh, 2014), the present study examined whether the association between religious deidentification and psychological distress is mediated by presence of meaning in life and negative automatic thoughts. A total of 222 participants (167 women; , ) completed the Multidimensional Scale of Religious Deidentification (Falewicz et al., 2026), the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (Steger et al., 2006; Kossakowska et al., 2013), the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-8 (Netemeyer et al., 2002), and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (Goldberg, 1972; Makowska & Merecz, 2001). Religious deidentification was positively associated with psychological distress and negative automatic thoughts, and negatively associated with presence of meaning. Presence of meaning was negatively related to both negative automatic thoughts and psychological distress, whereas negative automatic thoughts were positively related to distress. Bootstrap analyses indicated a significant total indirect effect of religious deidentification on psychological distress (β = .0038, 95% CI [.0018, .0064]). A significant sequential indirect effect emerged, linking religious deidentification with greater psychological distress through lower presence of meaning and higher negative automatic thoughts. These findings suggest that religious deidentification may contribute to distress by weakening meaning in life and intensifying maladaptive cognitive processes. The results underscore the importance of supporting individuals undergoing religious identity change in rebuilding meaning-making resources and developing more adaptive ways of coping with life stress.
Existential and Cognitive Pathways Linking Religious Deidentification to Psychological Distress