Religiosity and Adolescents’ Involvement with Both Drugs and Sex (original) (raw)
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The Cumulative Advantage of Religiosity in Preventing Drug Use
Journal of Drug Issues, 2008
Although previous studies tend to find that religiosity is negatively associated with drug use, their findings are mostly nondevelopmental, whether based on crosssectional or longitudinal data. Taking a life course perspective, we examine the effects of childhood religious socialization as well as involvement on drug use during later years. Based on the concept of cumulative advantage, it is hypothesized that religious upbringing decreases the probability of using drugs during adolescent years and into the early 20s indirectly not only via childhood religiosity but also through the protective and risk factors of drug use. To test this hypothesis, we conducted OLS regression analyses of three-wave panel data from the National Survey of Children. Results show that survey respondents raised by parents who believe religious training as well as service attendance to be important for children are less likely to use drugs during adolescence and early adulthood than those who were not raised by such parents.
Religiosity and Adolescent Substance Use: the Role of Individual and Contextual Influences
ity deters delinquency. The present study uses multilevel modeling data analytic techniques (i.e., hierarchical linear model [HLM]) and large nationally representative samples of American public high schools (N = 227) and high school seniors (N = 16,595) to examine various unresolved issues in the ongoing debate, with a specific focus on the relationships between individual-and contextual-level (i.e., school) religiosity and adolescent's use of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana. The results indicate first, that the higher adolescents' level of religiosity, the less likely they are to be current tobacco users, to engage in binge drinking, or to have used marijuana in the past year; second, that as the level of religiosity in a school increases, adolescents' frequency of cigarette use, binge drinking, and marijuana use decreases; third, that the religiosity of the school influences students' substance use, over and above their individual religiosity, but that this relationship exists only for marijuana; and fourth, that the strength of the relationship between individual-level religiosity and individual-level substance use varies depending upon the religiosity of the context, such that adolescents who are highly religious and in highly religious contexts are less likely to engage in binge drinking or marijuana use than those who are equally religious but in less religious contexts. Future research should seek to understand the mechanisms through which individual-and contextual-level religiosity influences young people's use of substances and other delinquent behaviors.
Youth & Society, 2011
Previous research finds drug-using peers and religiosity to be key predictors of drug use among youth, but the effects of childhood exposure to drug users and religion on later drug use have been understudied. The authors hypothesize a child’s exposure to parental drug use and religious upbringing have a causal influence on drug use in youth primarily through drug-using peer association and religiosity during adolescence and young adulthood. To test this hypothesis, the authors analyze nationally representative three-wave panel data spanning ages 6 to 22. Results from estimating a structural equation model provide empirical support for the hypothesis, as the causal influence was found to be indirect via the proximate predictors of drug use among youths; that is, childhood risk and protective factors were positively associated with their adolescent and young adulthood counterparts, which in turn had a causal effect on drug use by youth.
Religious Involvement and Adolescent Substance Use
Religious involvement – indicated by observable feelings, beliefs, activities, and experiences in relation to spiritual, divine, or supernatural entities – is a prevalent and powerful force in the lives of American adolescents. According to national estimates, over 80% of adolescents report affiliations with religious groups (mostly Catholic and Conservative Protestant denominations), roughly 38% attend religious services at least once per week, and over 90% believe in God and Heaven (Gallup & Bezilla, 1992; Regnerus, 2007; Smith, Denton, Faris, & Regnerus, 2002). Studies show that religious involvement is associated with a wide range of favorable adolescent outcomes, including generally healthier lifestyles, greater mental and physical well-being, conformity to rules and laws, positive family relationships, and lower rates of risky sexual practices (Regnerus, 2003; Smith, 2003a; Wallace & Forman, 1998).Given the far-reaching impact of religion in adolescence, it is not at all surprisi ...
2000
Using a review of the literature and national longitudinal data on 1,087 youth aged 11 to 17, this study investigated whether religious commitment reduces drug use among poor urban teenagers. Standard multivariate statistical analysis of data from the National Youth Survey (1997) showed that inner-city adolescents who were more religious were significantly less likely to take drugs than other young people living in the same neighborhoods. Highly religious youth living in urban neighborhoods were less likely to use illicit drugs than nonreligious youth living in suburban neighborhoods. This study indicates that the degree to which being religious decreased a youth's probability of using illicit drugs decreases the older a teenager becomes. Youth who had good family relations, did well in school, had nondrug-using friends, and possessed antidrug attitudes were even less likely to use illicit drugs when they were also religious. The effect of religious commitment among poor urban teenagers was statistically significant for all categories of illicit drugs, including hard drugs. Appendixes discuss study details, illustrate variable operationalization, present the analytic model, and contain data tables and figures. (Contains 3 tables, 2 figures, and 37 endnotes.) (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
While it is well understood that adolescent religiosity is associated with the use and abuse of licit and illicit substances, few studies have revealed the pathways through which religiosity buffers youth against involvement in such behavior. The aim of this study is to examine the complexity of the relationships between religiosity, sensation seeking, injunctive norms, and adolescent substance use. Using a national sample of adolescents (N = 18,614), negative binomial regression and path analysis were used to examine the various components of the relationship between religiosity and the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. Results indicate that private religiosity moderates the relationship between key risk factors and substance use. Public and private religiosity were associated with tolerant injunctive substance use norms which, in turn, were associated with substance use. Implications for research and theory related to religiosity and adolescent substance use are discussed.
Buffering Effect of Religiosity for Adolescent Substance Use
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2003
This research examined the hypothesis that religiosity buffers the impact of life stress on adolescent substance use. Data were from a sample of 1,182 participants surveyed on 4 occasions between 7th grade (mean age ϭ 12.4 years) and 10th grade. Religiosity was indexed by Jessor's Value on Religion Scale (R. . Zero-order correlations showed religiosity inversely related to alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. Significant Life Events ϫ Religiosity buffer interactions were found in cross-sectional analyses for tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. A latent growth analysis showed that religiosity reduced the impact of life stress on initial level of substance use and on rate of growth in substance use over time. Implications for further research on religiosity and substance use are discussed.
Adolescent risk behaviors and religion: Findings from a national study
Journal of Adolescence, 2007
Too few studies have assessed the relationship between youth risk behaviors and religiosity using measures which captured the varied extent to which youth are engaged in religion. This study applied three measures of religiosity and risk behaviors. In addition, this study ascertained information about youths' participation in religious activities from a parent or caretaker. Based on a national random sample of 2,004 teens (ages 11-18), this study indicates that youth perceive religion as important, are active in religious worship and activities, and further shows that perceived importance of religion as well as participation in religious activities are associated with decreased risk behaviors. Looking at ten risk behaviors, religiosity variables were consistently associated with reduced risk behaviors in the areas of: smoking, alcohol use, truancy, sexual activity, marijuana use, and depression. In the case of these six risk variables, religiosity variables were significantly associated with reduced risk behaviors when controlling for family background variables and self esteem. The study highlights the importance of further understanding the relationship between religious variables, background variables, self esteem, and youth risk behaviors.