Abstract
The current study is an examination of the familial variables associated with the expression of intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity and the relationship between religiosity and adjustment in emerging adulthood. Three hundred and five emerging adults completed questionnaires regarding their religiosity, psychological adjustment, and several familial variables. Parental divorce, perceived parental marital satisfaction, and family support were found to relate to religiosity. Additionally, those classified as intrinsically and indiscriminately religious reported higher levels of self-esteem than the extrinsically religious. The current study highlights the importance of examining multiple contextual variables simultaneously in order to assess the true multidimensional aspect of religious expression in emerging adulthood.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akhtar, S. (1984). The syndrome of identity diffusion. American Journal of Psychiatry, 141, 1381–1385.
Allport, G. W., & Ross, J. M. (1967). Personal religious orientation and prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 432–443.
Amato, P. R. (1996). Explaining the intergenerational transmission of divorce. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 628–640.
Amato, P. R., & Keith, B. (1991). Consequences of parental divorce on children’s well-being: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 26–46.
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469–480.
Arnett, J. J., & Jensen, L. A. (2002). A congregation of one: Individualized religious beliefs among emerging adults. Journal of Adolescent Research, 17, 451–468.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182.
Beit-Hallahmi, B., & Argyle, M. (1997). The psychology of religious behavior, belief, and experience. New York: Routledge.
Craig-Bray, L., Adams, G. R., & Dobson, W. R. (1988). Identity formation and social relations during late adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 17, 173–187.
Donahue, M. J. (1985). Intrinsic and extrinsic religiousness: Review and meta-analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 400–419.
Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Freud, S. (1952). Totem and taboo. New York: Norton.
Gaede, S. (1977). Religious participation, socioeconomic status, and belief-orthodoxy. Journal of Scientific Study of Religion, 16, 245–253.
Gartner, J., Larson, D. B., & Allen, G. D. (1991). Religious commitment and mental health: A review of the empirical literature. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 19, 6–25.
Genia, V., & Shaw, D. G. (1991). Religion, intrinsic-extrinsic orientation, and depression. Review of Religious Research, 32, 274–283.
Hood, R. W., Jr. (1978). The usefulness of indiscriminately pro and anti categories of religious orientation. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 17, 419–431.
Hoge, D. R., Johnson, B., & Luidens, D. A. (1993). Determinants of church involvement of young adults who grew up in Presbyterian churches. Journal of the Scientific Study of Religion, 32, 242–255.
Knox, D., Langehough, S. O., Walters, C., & Rowley, M. (1998). Religiosity and spirituality among college students. College Student Journal, 32, 430.
Koenig, H. G. (2001). Religion and mental health: Evidence for an association. International Review of Psychiatry, 13, 67–78.
Levitt, M. J., Guacci-Franco, N., & Levitt, J. L. (1993). Convoys of social support in children and early adolescence: Structure and function. Developmental Psychology, 29, 811–818.
Levitt, M. J., Levitt, J. L., Bustos, G. L., Crooks, N. A., Santos, J., Telan, P., Hodgetts-Barber, J., & Milevsky, A. (2005). Patterns of social support in the middle childhood and early adolescent transition: Implications for adjustment. Social Development, 14, 398–421.
Magnusson, D. (1998). The logic and implications of a person approach. In R. B. Cairns, L. R. Bergman, & J. Kagan (Eds.), Methods and models for studying the individual (pp. 33–63). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Magnusson, D., & Stattin, H. (1998). Person–context interaction theories. In R. M. Lerner (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology. Vol. 1: Theoretical models of human development (pp. 685–760). New York: Wiley.
Marcia, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 551–558.
Milevsky, A., & Levitt, M. J. (2002, April). School achievement and religious affiliation. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.
Milevsky, A., & Levitt, M. J. (2004). Intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity in preadolescence and adolescence: Effect on psychological well-being. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 7, 307–321.
Milevsky, I. M., Szuchman, L., & Milevsky, A. (2001, June). Intergenerational transmission of religious beliefs. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Society, Toronto, CA.
Moore, T. (1991). The African-American church: A source of empowerment, mutual help, and social change. In K. I. Pargament, K. I. Maton, & R. E. Hess (Eds.), Religion and prevention in mental health: Research, vision, and action. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.
Nelson, P. B. (1990). Intrinsic/extrinsic religious orientation of the elderly: Relationship to depression and self-esteem. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 16, 29–35.
Okagaki, L., & Bevis, C. (1999) Transmission of religious values: Relations between parents’ and daughters’ beliefs. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 160, 303–318.
Paloutzian, R. F. (1996). Invitation to the psychology of religion (2nd ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Patock-Peckham, J. A., Hutchinson, G. T., Cheong, J., & Nagoshi, C. T. (1998). Effect of religion and religiosity on alcohol use in a college student sample. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 49, 81–88.
Powell, M. A., & Parcel, T. L. (1997). Effects of family structure on the earnings attainment process: Differences by gender. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59, 419–433.
Rosenberg, M. (1965) Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Ross, C. E., & Mirowsky, J. (1999). Parental divorce, life-course disruption, and adult depression. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 1034–1045.
Rothman, K. M. (1984). Multivariate analysis of the relationship of personal concerns to adolescent ego identity status. Adolescence, 19, 713–727.
Smith, C. B., Weigert, A. J., & Thomas, D. L. (1979) Self-esteem and religiosity: An analysis of catholic adolescents from five cultures. Journal of Scientific Study of Religion, 18, 51–60.
Walker, K. L., & Dixon, V. (2002). Spirituality and academic performance among African-American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 28, 107–121.
Wallerstein, J. S., & Kelly, J. B. (1980). Surviving the breakup: How children and parents cope with divorce. New York: Basic Books.
Wilson, J., & Sandomirsky, S. (1991). Religious affiliation and the family. Sociological Forum, 6, 289–309.
Wright, L. S., Frost, C. J., & Wisecarver, S. J. (1993). Church attendance, meaningfulness of religion, and depressive symptomatology among adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 22, 559–568.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Melissa Schlechter for her assistance with editing the manuscript and Kylie Smoot, Amy Ruppe, Abby Siverling, Amanda Goldenberg, Julie Perhacs, Kathy Spess and Andrea Offenbacher for their assistance with data collection.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Portions of this paper were presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Society, Chicago, May 2004.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Milevsky, A., Leh, M. Religiosity in Emerging Adulthood: Familial Variables and Adjustment. J Adult Dev 15, 47–53 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-007-9034-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-007-9034-3