Perceptions of Accountability to God and Psychological Well-Being Among US Adults

Bradshaw, Matt; Kent, Blake Victor; vanOyen Witvliet, Charlotte; Johnson, Byron; Jang, Sung Joon; Leman, Joseph

doi:10.1007/s10943-021-01471-8

Original Paper
Published: 18 January 2022

Perceptions of Accountability to God and Psychological Well-Being Among US Adults

Matt Bradshaw¹,
Blake Victor Kent ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0782-9041²,
Charlotte vanOyen Witvliet³,
Byron Johnson¹,
Sung Joon Jang¹ &
Joseph Leman¹

Journal of Religion and Health volume 61, pages 327–352 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

This study examines whether accountability to God is positively associated with four measures of psychological well-being—happiness, mattering to others, dignity, and meaning—among US adults. It also tests the possibility that prayer moderates these associations. Data from the 2017 Values and Beliefs of the American Public Survey (n = 1251) were analyzed using multivariate regression. Findings provided support for an association between accountability to God and mattering to others, dignity, and meaning in fully controlled models, and for happiness when religious controls were excluded. They also showed that these relationships were stronger among those who prayed frequently compared with those who did not. Overall, these findings shed light on a new concept—accountability to God—including its association with psychological well-being.

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Funding

This publication was made possible through the support of a grant from the Templeton Religion Trust (#0171). The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Templeton Religion Trust. The authors also thank the Institute for Studies of Religion and Dr. Paul Froese for providing financial support and access to the data.

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Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97326, Waco, TX, 76798-7326, USA
Matt Bradshaw, Byron Johnson, Sung Joon Jang & Joseph Leman
Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Blake Victor Kent
Department of Psychology, Hope College, Holland, MI, USA
Charlotte vanOyen Witvliet

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Matt Bradshaw
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Blake Victor Kent
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Charlotte vanOyen Witvliet
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Byron Johnson
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Sung Joon Jang
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Joseph Leman
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Correspondence to Matt Bradshaw.

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Bradshaw, M., Kent, B.V., vanOyen Witvliet, C. et al. Perceptions of Accountability to God and Psychological Well-Being Among US Adults. J Relig Health 61, 327–352 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01471-8

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Accepted: 23 November 2021
Published: 18 January 2022
Issue Date: February 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01471-8

Keywords

Prayer
Virtue
Happiness
Dignity
Meaning

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