Understanding risk and protective mechanisms that are related to adolescents'physical and psychological health is important to the development of programs that discourage adolescents from engaging in health-risk behaviors and help reduce psychological problems. Past research has identified religiosity as having a protective effect against substance use and psychopathology among adolescents. However, substantial gaps remain in our understanding of the processes and correlates that may account for the observed link between religiosity and adolescent outcomes. We will investigate how religiosity interfaces with mediating and moderating processes (such as self-regulation, stress, and parent-child relationship) to influence the development of substance use and psychopathology. Such work is critical to the implementation of effective preventive interventions. Data will be collected from 180 adolescents between 12-15 years old, their primary caregivers, and their teachers. The population from which we will recruit is approximately evenly divided by gender and diverse in ethnicity and socio-economic status. We will measure religiosity (adolescents'and parents'), self-regulation, stressful life events, parent-child relationship, substance use, and internalizing and externalizing symptomatology. The current investigation targets the following specific aims:
Aim 1 : To examine the influences of six dimensions of religiosity on adolescent adjustment outcomes: Organizational Religiosity, Private Practices, Personal Religiosity, Religious Internalization, Religious Support, and Religious Belief Accessibility.
Aim 2 : To test buffering effect models to determine whether adolescent religiosity contributes to ameliorating negative outcomes such as substance use and psychopathology, especially when the stress level is high.
Aim 3 : To test moderated mediation models to examine whether the inverse association between adolescent religiosity and substance use/psychopathology may be mediated through self-regulation and if such mediation effects vary depending on the level of stress or gender.
Aim 4 : To investigate whether the contributions of intergenerational similarity in religiosity are mediated by self-regulation and moderated by parent-child relationship quality.
This study will inform parents, families, schools, family service and health care professionals about ways in which religiosity exerts protective influences against substance use and psychopathology outcomes among adolescents. The findings will provide critical information regarding parents'and adolescents'religious behaviors and practices that can be useful for developing effective prevention and intervention programs against adolescent substance use, depression, and antisocial behaviors by illustrating the roles of religiosity and self-regulation in stress coping.
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