Multiple Dimensions Of Religiosity Research Articles

Many facets of religiosity and regulatory virtues: Exploring the links between multiple dimensions of religiosity with self-control and patience among Muslim-American adolescents

A growing body of literature suggests that religiosity is linked to regulatory virtues, such as self-control and patience, but most of this literature has been on Christian populations and has only focused on a single and more adaptive dimensions of religiosity, such as religious practices and beliefs. The current study sought to expand this literature by examining how the belief (e.g., religious struggles with doubts), belonging (e.g., religious identity), and bonding (e.g., anxious and avoidant attachment to Allah) dimensions of religion are uniquely associated with the behaving (e.g., inhibitory control, initiatory control, and patience) dimension of religion among a sample of Muslim American adolescents. Two-hundred forty-eight 13-18-year-old Muslims living across the United States filled out a cross-sectional survey online. Path analyses revealed that religious commitment and avoidant attachment to Allah were linked to initiatory self-control and patience, but not inhibitory self-control. In contrast, religious struggles and anxious attachment to Allah were linked to inhibitory self-control, but not initiatory self-control and patience. Finally, religious identity was not linked to self-control or patience when accounting for these other dimensions of religiosity. Our findings suggested that some dimensions of religiosity might indeed promote regulatory virtues, but other dimensions may undermine self-control and patience, which have important implications for theory and interventions targeted to promote regulatory virtues among youth.

Exploring the Interplay between Religion, Health, and Subjective Well-Being in Turkey

Religion, a primary part of human life, has long been granted as an influential drive shaping individuals' beliefs, values, and behaviors. It permeates numerous aspects of life, granting support, guidance, and a sense of purpose to billions of adherents around the world. This paper investigates the intricate link between subjective well-being and religion by focusing on the influence of religious beliefs and practices on happiness, life satisfaction, and subjective health outcomes. While previous findings have provided inconsistent evidence about this relationship, most of it has been conducted in Western and Judeo-Christian contexts. Even though there are few studies addressing religion and subjective well-being in Turkey this study presents a different perspective by surveying national-level data from Turkey. Existing literature on religion and subjective well-being presents a divided narrative; while some studies suggest that religion positively affects well-being, others claim that it has negative or neutral effects. However, this paper enhances the existing literature by exploring these relationships within the framework of Islamic beliefs and practices examining how religious beliefs and practices influence subjective well-being outcomes in the Muslim framework. The study analyzes subjective well-being, including happiness and life satisfaction, in both cognitive and emotional dimensions. It also explores the connections between religion and subjective mental and physical health investigating the possible moderating effect of religion on Subjective wellbeing and health outcomes. First, it explores the moderating role of religion in the association of subjective well-being and subjective health. In addition, from an Islamic viewpoint, this study focuses on the multiple dimensions of religiosity in a Muslim-populated nation where religious membership and participation concepts vary from Western Christian societies. Islamic beliefs emphasize the importance of living a disciplined and devoted life by focusing on inner virtues and moral behavior. Islam advances a perception of happiness that transcends hedonism and highlights eudaimonic well-being by prioritizing the hereafter over worldly pleasures. The impact of religion on the well-being of Turkey, which has a unique cultural and political structure, is complex. This dichotomy of being secular and religious at the same time allows for significant religious differences, making Turkey an interesting subject of study. The research uses a series of hypotheses exploring the links between religion, happiness, life satisfaction, and health. Its aim is to reveal the relationships between these variables and to determine how religiosity directs these relationships. In addition, the research also investigates how subjective well-being results differ depending on the level of religiosity in Turkey. The data of this study are based on the well-known World Values Survey (WVS) 2012. Three dependent variables were used in the study: happiness, life satisfaction, and subjective health. Three religious determinants measure religious beliefs and practices, and a set of control variables accounts for sociodemographic factors. The findings of this study will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the complex interaction between religion and health and well-being in different cultural and religious settings. The results present a series of multinomial logistic regression models designed to explore the relationships between independent variables and dependent outcomes. These models discover complex patterns in the data and offer insights into direct and indirect effects, as well as the moderating role of religion in mental health outcomes.

Assessing the Link Between Bible Reading and Flourishing Among Military Families: Preliminary Findings

This study examines whether participating in a Bible reading program for military families (called “Hero Squad”) is positively related to overall human flourishing among children, family units, and parents/caregivers. Previous research shows salutary associations between multiple dimensions of religiosity (including reading sacred texts) and different aspects of flourishing (e.g., physical health, psychological well-being, character and virtue, social connections and support), so it was hypothesized that program participation would promote flourishing over time. Two waves of survey data were collected on a sample of 175 U.S. military families in 2021 and 2022, and differences between pretest and posttest surveys were analyzed. As hypothesized, improvements in indicators of flourishing were observed over time. These findings contribute to published work on religious participation by showing that Bible reading may promote overall mental, physical, and social well-being. Implications and limitations of these preliminary findings are discussed.

Does Religion Foster Prejudice Among Adherents of All World Religions? A Comparison Across Religions

BackgroundThe relation between religiousness and prejudice has been the topic of a large research literature, yet this was so far mostly limited to Western societies with a Christian heritage.PurposeThis study sought to compare the religiousness–prejudice relationship between adherents of monotheistic and non-monotheistic religions. Focusing on inter-religious prejudice we examined whether theological exclusivism moderated this relationship.MethodsMulti-group structural equation modeling was applied using global data from the 6th wave of the World Values Survey.ResultsNo support was found for the expected divide between religious groups. Religious identity, belief, and practice each related differentially to prejudice across the religions. Exclusivism was more consistently negatively related to prejudice and moderated the relation with religious identity for Orthodox Christians and Buddhists.Conclusions and implicationsWe conclude that religious attitudes or orientations (i.e., how people believe) are more important to understand prejudice towards religious others than religious traditions or multiple dimensions of religiosity (i.e., what and how strongly they believe).

Does Religiosity in the Transition to Adulthood Predict Filial Norms in Midlife?

Objective: This study aims to identify multiple dimensions of religiosity among young adults at the beginning and end of the transition to adulthood, and describe how transition patterns of religiosity in early adulthood are associated with filial elder-care norms in midlife. Background: There is a broad consensus that religiosity is multidimensional in nature, but less is known regarding transitions in multiple dimensions of religiosity from early to middle adulthood and predicted filial eldercare norms as a function of those religiosity transitions. Methods: The sample consisted of 368 young adults participating in the Longitudinal Study of Generations in 2000 (mean age = 23 years) and 2016 waves. We conducted a latent class and latent transition analyses to address our aims. Results: We identified three religious latent classes among young adults in both 2000 and 2016 waves: strongly religious, weakly religious, and doctrinally religious. Staying strongly religious young adults between 2000 to 2016 waves reported higher filial elder-care norms in the 2016 Wave than those who were in staying weakly religious, staying doctrinally religious, and decreasing religiosity transition patterns between 2000 to 2016 waves. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that religiosity is still an important value for young adults shaping their intergenerational relationships with their aging parents. Keywords: religiosity, filial eldercare norms, young adults, transition to adulthood

Multiple dimensions of religiosity, self-regulation, and psychological adjustment among emerging adults

Religiosity has been associated with positive psychological adjustment during emerging adulthood. However, the unique effects of specific dimensions of religiosity on emerging adults’ mental health and the underlying mechanisms are less understood. This study examined the mediating role of self-regulation between three dimensions of religiosity (religious commitment, religious engagement, and religious struggle) and psychological adjustment among 258 Christian emerging adults (Mage = 20.09 years, SD = 1.58; 74% female) in the United States. Participants reported on their religiosity, self-regulation, psychological well-being, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. The three dimensions of religiosity were uniquely associated with psychological adjustment through self-regulation. Specifically, religious commitment was associated with higher levels of self-regulation, and in turn, more positive psychological adjustment; whereas religious engagement and religious struggle were associated with lower levels of self-regulation, and in turn, more negative psychological adjustment. Our findings suggest that acceptance and internalization may be essential for religiosity to promote emerging adults’ self-regulation abilities, and in turn, benefit their mental health. In contrast, behavioral participation in religious activities without internal identification may be detrimental for emerging adults’ self-regulation and hinder their psychological adjustment. These findings highlight the importance of examining religiosity as a multidimensional construct to better understand the distinct effects of different religious dimensions on emerging adults’ mental health.

Religion and Mental Health in Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations: A Review of the Literature.

Religion has been an important source of resiliency for many racial and ethnic minority populations. Given the salience, sociohistorical context, and importance of religion in the lives of black and Latino Americans, this literature review focuses on the mental health and well-being outcomes of religion among black and Latino Americans across the adult life course and specifically in later life. This review provides an overview of religious participation and religiosity levels and an in-depth discussion of extant research on the relationship between the multiple dimensions of religiosity and mental health in these 2 populations. Racial differences between blacks, Latinos, and non-Latino whites are also examined. Suggestions for limitations of the current literature and future directions for research on religion and mental health in racial/ethnic minority populations, especially older minorities, are proposed.

Religiosity and patterns of alcohol consumption among users of primary healthcare facilities in Brazil

Abstract Background A number of studies have been reported on the role of religiosity in health beliefs and behaviors. Objective The objective of this cross-sectional study is to examine the association between religious involvement and patterns of alcohol consumption in a large representative sample of users of primary healthcare facilities in Ribeirão Preto, Southeast Brazil. Method Data were collected through personal interviews. Religiosity was measured using the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL) and the alcohol consumption was measured using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations between the participant characteristics, the AUDIT risk levels, and the drinking groups. Results The sample was composed of 841 women with a mean age of 39.5 years old and 214 men with a mean age of 45.1 years old. A significant relationship between patterns of alcohol consumption and the multiple dimensions of religiosity was detected, such as religious affiliation, religious practices, self-perception of the level of religiosity and the ORA, NORA and IR components of DUREL. Lower levels of drinking risk were detected among religious individuals and among those who practice their religions compared to individuals who have no religion and/or non-practicing individuals, respectively. Conclusion A lifestyle motivated by religious concerns is associated with alcohol use habits among the Brazilian users of the public healthcare facilities.

Religiosity, Secularity and Fertility in Canada.

Using several cycles of the Canadian General Social Survey covering cohorts born from the early 1900s onwards, this paper examines how religiosity and secularity associate with fertility in Canada. The analysis shows that among multiple dimensions of religiosity, religious attendance is the strongest predictor of higher fertility in the country. For the latest cycle conducted in 2011, three mutually exclusive groups of secularized women are compared with the actively religious in their fertility behaviour and intentions. All these secularized women are found to have lower fertility rates compared with the actively religious. Among them, the strictly seculars, a proxy identifier for the atheists, have the lowest fertility and the highest likelihood of remaining childless. Various implications are discussed.

Religious Pathways from Adolescence to Adulthood.

Prior research suggests the significance of religion for development and wellbeing in adolescence and beyond. Further, new developments and applications of statistical methods have led to ways of better accounting for the multidimensional nature of religiosity (e.g. latent class analysis), as well as the dynamic aspects of religiosity (e.g. latent growth curve models). Yet, rarely if ever are both features of religiosity incorporated and examined together. Therefore, we propose and conduct a latent class analysis using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to identify seven distinct pathways of religiosity that involve independently changing levels of religious affiliation, religious service attendance, personal importance of religion, and prayer from adolescence to adulthood. We also show how individuals' religious pathways are related to gender, race, parents' education, their own education, and family formation experiences in the transition to adulthood. Our findings inform the study of how multiple dimensions of religiosity take shape across adolescence and the transition to adulthood, and suggest a new way for measuring the dynamics of religiosity in studies of the impact of religion across the life course.

Effects of religiosity on physical activity, fast food intake, and obesity in emerging adults

In adults, relationships between religiosity and positive health behaviors have been established; however, similar studies among emerging adults has not been explored. This study examined the relationship between multiple dimensions of religiosity, physical activity, fast food intake, and obesity among emerging adults. Data are from 1,319 emerging adults participating in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health during Wave IV (ages 18-29). Females were highly religious on all dimensions of religiosity. Path models showed high levels of religious practice encouraged eating less fast food, and more prayer time increased physical activity levels. More religious practice was associated with lower incidence of obesity; increasing time spent in prayer, however, heightened the risk for obesity. Thus, dimensions of religiosity in emerging adults constructed in a different ways with fast food intake, physical activity, and obesity.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Multiple Dimensions of Religiosity

In recent years there has been a renewed scientific interest in the study of religiosity, including research on genetic and environmental contributions to religiosity. In this article, we investigate genetic and environmental effects on 7 religiosity factors and explore how genetic and environmental effects covary across these factors. Seven religiosity factors estimated from 78 items were examined in a sample of adult male and female twins. The 7 religiosity factors were largely influenced by additive genetic and unique environmental effects, with relatively little influence from common environmental effects. Multivariate genetic analyses found the 7 religiosity factors were influenced by 1 common additive genetic factor, 3 common unique environmental factors, and unique environmental effects specific to each religiosity factor. The results suggest that for the population studied, additive genetic and unique environmental effects largely account for the variance across the religiosity construct.

An examination of the relationship between multiple dimensions of religiosity, blood pressure, and hypertension

Researchers have established the role of heredity and lifestyle in the occurrence of hypertension, but the potential role of psychosocial factors, especially religiosity, is less understood. This paper analyzes the relationship between multiple dimensions of religiosity and systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and hypertension using data taken from the Chicago Community Adult Health Study, a probability sample of adults ( N = 3105) aged 18 and over living in the city of Chicago, USA. Of the primary religiosity variables examined here, attendance and public participation were not significantly related to the outcomes. Prayer was associated with an increased likelihood of hypertension, and spirituality was associated with increased diastolic blood pressure. The addition of several other religiosity variables to the models did not appear to affect these findings. However, variables for meaning and forgiveness were associated with lower diastolic blood pressure and a decreased likelihood of hypertension outcomes. These findings emphasize the importance of analyzing religiosity as a multidimensional phenomenon. This study should be regarded as a first step toward systematically analyzing a complex relationship.

Religiosity and Life Satisfaction

Religiosity has been examined in relation to life satisfaction, subjective well-being, happiness, health and social involvement. Previous social psychological research generally evaluated religiosity as a unidimensional concept focusing primarily on religious attendance. Researchers have noted that reliance on religious attendance as a sole measure of religiosity may be insufficient and lead to incorrect conclusions. Recent studies have explored the relationship between multiple dimensions of religiosity and measures of well-being (Ellison, Gay & Glass, 1989; Ellison, 1991; Chumbler, 1996). This study examined the relationships between religiosity, life satisfaction, age and gender. Two dimensions of religiosity were evaluated, religious affiliation and private religious devotion. Results indicate that religious affiliation is more strongly tied to life satisfaction than private religious devotion. Both measures of religiosity increased with age, indicating that adults tend to increase levels of religious affiliation and private religious devotion across the lifespan. In support of previous findings, women reported a higher level of religiosity than men in the sample studied.

Turning to Prayer: Social and Situational Antecedents of Religious Coping among African Americans

Although observers have long suggested that prayer is an important coping behavior for African Americans, there has been little research on the social and situational antecedents of such religious coping in this population. This study develops a series of theoretical arguments linking four sets of factors - religiosity, problem domain, social and psychological resources, and social location - with religious coping. Relevant hypotheses are then tested using data from a large national probability sample of African Americans. Findings confirm the general importance of religious coping among African Americans. Further, while multiple dimensions of religiosity are important predictors of the use of prayer in coping, this practice is also most likely among persons dealing with health problems or bereavement, persons with low general personal mastery, and females. A number of promising directions for further research on religious coping among African Americans, and in the general population are discussed.