Abstract
Building on both the spiritual development and affluent youth literature, the current study explores spiritual development and health outcomes in a sample of upper-middle-class youth. Exploratory analyses indicate long-term stability in religiosity and spirituality from late adolescence (mean age 18) well into emerging adulthood (mean age 24); specifically, a strong personal relationship with a Higher Power, that carries into the broader arena of life, appears to be the primary source of spiritual life in adolescence that transitions into young adulthood. Moreover, cross-sectional associations at age 24 suggest spiritual development may have important implications for increased mental health and life satisfaction, as well as decreased antisocial behaviors.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 844-861 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Journal of Religion and Health |
Volume | 54 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 1 2015 |
Keywords
- Adolescents
- Affluent youth
- Development
- Emerging adults
- Religiosity
- Spirituality
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Religious studies
- General Medicine
- General Nursing