Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Just Another Club? The Distinctiveness of the Relation Between Religious Service Attendance and Adolescent Psychosocial Adjustment

  • Empirical Research
  • Published:
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study used hierarchical linear modeling to compare longitudinal patterns of adolescent religious service attendance and club attendance, and to contrast the longitudinal relations between adolescent adjustment and religious service versus club attendance. Participants included 1050 students (47% girls) encompassing a school district in Canada, who completed the survey first in grade nine and again in grades 11 and 12. Results demonstrated that patterns of religious service attendance over time were quite different from other clubs. Religious attendance was uniquely associated with several indicators of positive as well as negative adjustment. Club involvement, conversely, was only associated with positive adjustment––particularly for individuals who reported sustained involvement over time. Findings suggest that religious services may provide some unique experiences––both positive and negative––over and above what may be provided in other clubs, and that sustained, rather than sporadic participation in clubs, may be especially important for adolescent adjustment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. While gender was not a focus of this paper, in a supplementary analysis we tested cross-level interactions for gender between religious service/club attendance and the outcome variables. The only outcome variable for which the cross-level interaction was significant was parental relationship. Specifically, for parental relationship, the interaction between religious service attendance and time was significant only for girls.

References

  • Albertsen, E. J., O’Connor, L., & Berry, J. W. (2006). Religion and interpersonal guilt: Variations across ethnicity and spirituality. Mental Health Religion & Culture, 9, 67–84. doi:10.1080/13694670500040484.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armsden, G. C., & Greenberg, M. T. (1987). The inventory of parent and peer attachment: Individual differences and their relationship to psychological well-being in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 5, 427–453. doi:10.1007/BF02202939.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. L., Eccles, J. S., & Stone, M. R. (2001). Whatever happened to the jock, the brain, and the princess? Young adult pathways linked to adolescent activity involvement and social identity. Journal of Adolescent Research, 16, 429–455. doi:10.1177/0743558401165002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartko, W. T., & Eccles, J. E. (2003). Adolescent participation in structured and unstructured activities: A person-centered analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 233–241. doi:10.1023/A:1023056425648.

  • Beeghley, L., Van Velsor, E., & Bock, E. W. (1981). The correlates of religiosity among Black and White Americans. The Sociological Quarterly, 22, 403–412. doi:10.1111/j.1533-8525.1981.tb00670.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benda, B., & Corwyn, R. F. (1997). A test of a model with reciprocal effects between religiosity and various forms of delinquency using 2-stage least squares regression. Journal of Social Service Research, 22, 27–52. doi:10.1300/J079v22n03_02.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busseri, M. A., Rose-Krasnor, L., Willoughby, T., & Chalmers, H. (2006). A longitudinal investigation of breadth and intensity of youth activity involvement and successful development. Developmental Psychology, 42, 1316–1326. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.6.1313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, W. (2003). Pockets of belief: Religious attendance patterns in Canada. Canadian Social Trends, 1–5.

  • Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95–S120. doi:10.1086/228943.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crouter, A. C., MacDermid, S. M., McHale, S. M., & Perry-Jenkins, M. (1990). Parental monitoring and perceptions of children’s school performance and conduct in dual- and single-earner families. Developmental Psychology, 26, 649–657. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.26.4.649.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M., Rathunde, K. R., Whalen, S., & Wong, M. (1993). Talented teenagers: The roots of success and failure. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darling, N. (2005). Participation in extracurricular activities and adolescent adjustment: Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 493–505. doi:10.1007/s10964-005-7266-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donovan, J. E., Jessor, R., & Costa, F. M. (1988). Syndrome of problem behavior in adolescence: A replication. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56(5), 762–765.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dowling, E. M., Gestsdottir, S., Anderson, P. M., von Eye, A., & Lerner, R. M. (2003). Spirituality, religiosity, and thriving among adolescents: Identification and confirmation of factor structures. Applied Developmental Science, 7, 253–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, J. B., Larson, R., & Hansen, D. (2003). Adolescents’ accounts of growth experiences in youth activities. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32, 17–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S., & Barber, B. L. (1999). Student council, volunteering, basketball, or marching band: What kind of extracurricular involvement matters? Journal of Adolescent Research, 14, 10–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erikson, E. H. (1964). Insight and responsibility. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fauth, R. C., Roth, J. L., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2007). Does the neighborhood context alter the link between youth’s after-school time activities and developmental outcomes? A multilevel analysis. Developmental Psychology, 43, 760–777.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher, A. C., Newsome, D., Nikerson, P., & Bazley, R. (2001). Social network closure and child adjustment. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 47, 500–529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher, A. C., Steinber, L., & Williams-Wheeler, M. (2004). Parental influences on adolescent problem behavior: Revisiting Stattin and Kerr. Child Development, 75, 781–796.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frankel, B. G., & Hewitt, W. E. (1994). Religion and well-being among Canadian university students: The role of faith groups on campus. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 33, 62–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ginsburg, G., La Greca, A., & Silverman, W. (1998). Social anxiety in children with anxiety disorders: Relation with social and emotional functioning. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26, 175–185.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Good, M., & Willoughby, T. (2006). The role of spirituality versus religiosity in adolescent psychosocial adjustment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 41–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Good, M., & Willoughby, T. (2007). The identity formation experiences of church-attending rural adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 22, 387–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, D. M., Larson, R. W., & Dworkin, J. B. (2003). What adolescents learn in organized youth activities: A survey of self-reported developmental experiences? Journal of Research on Adolescence, 13, 25–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hood, R. W., & Belzen, J. A. (2005). Research methods in the psychology of religion. In R. F. Paloutzian & C. L. Park (Eds.), The handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality (pp. 62–79). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunsberger, B., Pratt, M., & Pancer, S. M. (2001). Adolescent identity formation: Religious exploration and commitment. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 1, 356–386.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jessor, R., & Jessor, S. L. (1977). Problem behavior and psychological development: A longitudinal study of youth. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerestes, M., Youniss, J., & Metz, E. (2004). Longitudinal patterns of religious perspective and civic integration. Applied Developmental Science, 8, 39–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerr, M., & Stattin, H. (2000). What parents know, how they know it, and several forms of adolescent adjustment: Further support for a reinterpretation of monitoring. Developmental Psychology, 36, 366–380.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • King, P. E., & Furrow, J. L. (2004). Religion as a resource for positive youth development: Religion, social capital, and moral outcomes. Developmental Psychology, 40, 703–713.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirkpatrick, L. A. (1998). God as a substitute attachment figure: A longitudinal study of adult attachment style and religious change in college students. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 961–973.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, L. B., McGue, M., & Iacono, W. G. (2008). Stability and change in religiousness during emerging adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 44, 532–543.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kox, W., Meeus, W., & Hart, H. (1991). Religious conversion of adolescents: Testing the Lofland and Stark model of religious conversion. Sociological Analysis, 52, 227–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, R. W., Hansen, D. M., & Moneta, G. (2006). Differing profiles of developmental experiences across types of organized youth activities. Developmental Psychology, 42, 849–863.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, R. W., Richards, M. H., Moneta, G., Holmbeck, G., & Duckett, E. (1996). Changes in adolescents’ daily interactions with their families from ages 10 to 18: Disengagement and transformation. Developmental Psychology, 32, 744–754.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, R. M., Dowling, E. M., & Anderson, P. M. (2003). Positive youth development: Thriving as a basis of personhood and civil society. Applied Developmental Science, 7, 172–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, J. L. (2000). School extracurricular activity participation as a moderator in the development of antisocial patterns. Child Development, 71, 502–516.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, J. L., & Cairns, R. B. (1997). Do extracurricular activities protect against early school dropout? Developmental Psychology, 33, 241–253.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, J. L., Cairns, B. D., & Farmer, T. W. (2003). Promoting interpersonal competence and educational success through extracurricular activity participation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 409–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, A., Pendleton, S., & Ihrke, H. (2006). Religious coping by children and adolescents: Unexplored territory in the realm of spiritual development. In E. C. Roehlkepartain, P. E. Ebstyne, L. Wagener, & P. Benson (Eds.), The handbook of spiritual development in childhood and adolescence (pp. 341–354). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, J. L., Schweder, A. E., & Stattin, H. (2002). Structured after-school activities as a moderator of depressed mood for adolescents with detached relations to their parents. Journal of Community Psychology, 30(1), 69–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markstrom, C. A., Li, X., Blackshire, S. L., & Wilfong, J. J. (2005). Ego strength development of adolescents involved in adult-sponsored structured activities. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 85–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maton, K. I., & Rappaport, J. (1984). Empowerment in a religious setting: A multivariate investigation. Prevention in Human Services, 3, 37–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maton, K. I., & Wells, E. A. (1995). Religion as a community resource for well-being. Prevention, healing, and empowerment pathways. Journal of Social Issues, 51, 177–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meeus, W., Iedema, J., Maassen, G., & Engels, R. (2005). Separation-individual revisited: On the interplay between parent-adolescent relations, identity, and emotional adjustment in adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 28, 89–106.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, A. S., & Hoffman, J. P. (1995). Risk and religion: An explanation of gender differences in religiosity. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 34, 63–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newberg, A. B., & Newberg, S. K. (2005). The neuropsychology of religious and spiritual experience. In R. F. Paloutzian & C. L. Park (Eds.), The psychology of religion and spirituality (pp. 199–215). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pendleton, S. M., Cavalli, K. S., Pargament, K. I., & Nasr, S. Z. (2002). Religious/spiritual coping in childhood cystic fibrosis: A qualitative study. Pediatrics, 109, 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Persson, A., Kerr, M., & Stattin, H. (2007). Staying in or moving away from structured activities: Explanations involving parents and peers. Developmental Psychology, 43, 197–207.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pettit, G. S., Laird, R. D., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Criss, M. M. (2001). Adolescents and behaviour-problem outcomes of parental monitoring and psychological control in early adolescence. Child Development, 72, 583–598.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Radloff, L. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raudenbush, W. W., Bryk, A. S., & Congdon, R. T. (2005). HLM6: Hierarchical linear and nonlinear modeling. Lincolnwood, IL: Scientific Software International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raymore, L. A., Barber, B. L., & Eccles, J. S. (2001). Leaving home, attending college, partnership and parenthood: The role of life transition events in leisure pattern stability from adolescence to young adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30, 197–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Regnerus, M. D. (2002). Shaping schooling success: Religious socialization and educational outcomes in metropolitan public schools. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 39, 363–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Regnerus, M. D., & Elder, G. H. (2003). Religion and vulnerability among low-risk adolescents. Social Science Research, 32, 633–658.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Regnerus, M. D., & Uecker, J. E. (2006). Finding faith, losing faith: The prevalence and context of religious transformations during adolescence. Review of Religious Research, 47, 217–237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2002). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, M., Rigby, S., & King, K. (1993). Two types of religious internalization and their relations to religious orientations and mental health. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 586–596.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schafer, J. L., & Graham, J. W. (2002). Missing data: Our view of the state of the art. Psychological Methods, 7, 147–177.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Singer, J. D., & Willett, J. B. (2003). Applied longitudinal data analysis. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, C. (2003a). Theorizing religious effects among American adolescents. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 42, 17–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, C. (2003b). Religious participation and network closure among American adolescents. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 42, 259–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, C., & Denton, M. L. (2005). Soul searching: The religious and spiritual lives of American teenagers. Oxford.

  • Smith, C., Denton, M. L., Faris, R., & Regnerus, M. (2002). Mapping American adolescent religious participation. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41, 597–612.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soenens, B., Vansteenkiste, M., Luyckx, K., & Goossens, L. (2006). Parenting and adolescent problem behavior: An integrated model with adolescent self-disclosure and perceived parental knowledge as interventing variables. Developmental Psychology, 42(2), 305–318.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Soenens, B., Vansteenkiste, M., Lens, W., Luyckx, K., Goossens, L., Bevers, W., et al. (2007). Conceptualizing parental autonomy support: Adolescent perceptions of promotion of independence versus promotion of volitional functioning. Developmental Psychology, 43, 633–646.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stark, R. (2002). Physiology and faith: Addressing the “universal” gender differences in religious commitment. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41, 495–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Canada. (2001a, May 30). National longitudinal survey of children and youth: Participation in activities. The Daily. Retrieved July 3, 2008, http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/010530/d010530a.htm.

  • Statistics Canada. (2001b). Population by ethnic origin. Retrieved April 6, 2003, http://www12.statcan.ca.

  • Statistics Canada. (2001c). Religion and sex for population, for Canada. Retrieved July 3, 2008, www12.statcan.ca.

  • Stattin, H., & Kerr, M. (2000). Parental monitoring: A reinterpretation. Child Development, 71, 1072–1085.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Townsend, L., Flisher, A. J., & King, G. (2007). A systematic review of the relationship between high school dropout and substance use. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 10, 295–372.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weinberger, D., Tublin, S., Fored, M., & Feldman, S. (1990). Preadolescents’ social-emotional adjustment and selective attrition in family research. Child Development, 61, 1374–1386.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Willoughby, T., Chalmers, H., & Busseri, M. A. (2004). Where is the syndrome? Examining co-occurrence among multiple problem behaviors in adolescence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 1022–1037.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Youniss, J., McLellan, J. A., Su, Y., & Yates, M. (1999). The role of community service in identity development: Normative, unconventional, and deviant orientations. Journal of Adolescent Research, 14, 248–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Youniss, J., Yates, M., & Su, Y. (1997). Social integration: Community service and marijuana use in high school seniors. Journal of Adolescent Research, 12, 245–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zinnbauer, B. J., & Pargament, K. I. (1998). Spiritual conversion: A study of religious change among college students. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 37, 161–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Ave, St. Catharines, ON, Canada, L2R 5C9

    Marie Good, Teena Willoughby & Jan Fritjers

  2. Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Ave, St. Catharines, ON, Canada, L2R 5C9

    Teena Willoughby & Jan Fritjers

Authors
  1. Marie Good
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Teena Willoughby
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jan Fritjers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marie Good.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Good, M., Willoughby, T. & Fritjers, J. Just Another Club? The Distinctiveness of the Relation Between Religious Service Attendance and Adolescent Psychosocial Adjustment. J Youth Adolescence 38, 1153–1171 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9320-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9320-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation