A Matter of Faith: The Role of Religion, Doubt, and Personality in Emerging Adult Mental Health

Religion has been implicated as a powerful contributor to physical and mental well-being across the life span; however, its links to aspects of identity and individual differences often obscure its unique contributions. Few empirical efforts have attempted to disentangle the components of religion,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychology of religion and spirituality 2020-05, Vol.12 (2), p.247-253
Main Authors: Haney, Alison M., Rollock, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggressive Behavior
Anxiety
Demography
Doubt
Emerging Adulthood
Ethnicity
Female
Five Factor Personality Model
Health status
Human
Identity
Individual differences
Life satisfaction
Major Depression
Male
Mental depression
Mental Health
Personality
Religion
Religiosity
Spirituality
Uncertainty
Well Being
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Summary:Religion has been implicated as a powerful contributor to physical and mental well-being across the life span; however, its links to aspects of identity and individual differences often obscure its unique contributions. Few empirical efforts have attempted to disentangle the components of religion, particularly its social and personality-related qualities, that might account for its impact. This study examined several domains of religion as contributors to mental health, distinct from personality. A sample of emerging adults (n = 509) reported on these constructs along with measures of depression, anxiety, aggression, satisfaction with life, and flourishing. As hypothesized, hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that higher levels of religiosity were associated with better mental health outcomes above and beyond demographic characteristics and personality, and religious doubt was associated with poorer outcomes. Religiosity also differed as a function of gender and ethnicity. Clinical implications of these results are discussed along with recommendations for further research.
ISSN:1941-1022
1943-1562
DOI:10.1037/rel0000231