Johnson & Eastburg (1992) compared 30 abused children in residential treatment center to 30 non-abused children at home on their images of parents. Abused children saw their parents as less kind and more wrathful than non-abused children. Interestingly, both groups did not differ in their views of God being kind. Explaining this result using attachment theory secure attachment between child and caregivers can be predictive of loving relationship with others, including God. On the flipside, in case of insecure attachments, compensation for the state of insecurity would be evident in relationship of children with God as, which can lead to God viewed as a better or the perfect attachment substitute (Kirkpatrick, 1999).
Additional support also
