The Effects of Involvement in Campus Religious Communities on College Student Adjustment and Development

Abstract

This study examined the effects of involvement in campus-based religious organizations on first-year students’ adjustment and development. Longitudinal data derived from the 2001 Your First College Year (YFCY) survey suggest religious organizations attract conservative-leaning students with a history of religious engagement. Further, involvement in religious organizations during the first year of college does not preclude students becoming more culturally aware nor preclude students establishing emotionally beneficial friendship networks. Such involvement is associated with students becoming more spiritually confident and committed. Conversely, involvement in religious organizations bears little relationship to first-year academic success.