Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

Volume 61, Issue 2 pp. 564-573

Article

Religiosity and US adolescents’ well-being: The moderating role of trait reactance

Cristel Antonia Russell,

Corresponding Author

Cristel Antonia Russell

[email protected]

orcid.org/0000-0002-1918-6381

Graziadio Business School, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, USA

Correspondence should be addressed to Cristel Antonia Russell, Graziadio Business School, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, USA. Email: [email protected]

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Jillian Alderman,

Jillian Alderman

orcid.org/0000-0002-3954-6604

Graziadio Business School, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, USA

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Cristel Antonia Russell,

Corresponding Author

Cristel Antonia Russell

[email protected]

orcid.org/0000-0002-1918-6381

Graziadio Business School, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, USA

Correspondence should be addressed to Cristel Antonia Russell, Graziadio Business School, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, USA. Email: [email protected]

Search for more papers by this author

Jillian Alderman,

Jillian Alderman

orcid.org/0000-0002-3954-6604

Graziadio Business School, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, USA

Search for more papers by this author

First published: 13 April 2022

https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12789

Citations: 1

Acknowledgments: This research was supported by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism grant R21 AA014897 to the first author.

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Abstract

A large body of evidence has connected religiosity and spirituality to well-being, especially during the crucial adolescent years. This study examines whether trait reactance, a personality predisposition to resist external influences and threats to one's freedom, moderates the links between religiosity/spirituality, self-esteem, and well-being over the course of adolescence. We test these interactive effects with survey data from a nationally representative sample of children aged 13–17 (N = 419). Our results indicate that religiosity/spirituality is generally related to higher levels of self-esteem and that self-esteem positively relates to happiness. However, the relationship between religiosity/spirituality and self-esteem changes as a function of both age and trait reactance. Among young adolescents (14 years of age), lower reactance and lower religiosity/spirituality are associated with lower self-esteem, and among older adolescents (17 years of age), higher reactance and higher religiosity/spirituality are associated with the highest levels of self-esteem.

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Volume61, Issue2

June 2022

Pages 564-573

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Religiosity and US adolescents’ well-being: The moderating role of trait reactance

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