Abstract
A crisis of faith is an intrapersonal struggle with ultimate meaning that occurs when one’s supramundane reality is called in question. We propose a theoretical model which suggests that a crisis of faith will contribute to poorer sleep quality by undermining a general sense of meaning and purpose in life, especially among women. We use national survey data from the Wave 5 of the Baylor Religion Survey United States (N = 1395). Ordinary least squares regression models with robust standard errors are utilized. Sobel–Goodman mediation techniques are used to test the proposed mediating pathway. Our results suggest that a crisis of faith is associated with lower sleep quality, and that this pathway is partially mediated by a lower sense of meaning and purpose in life. Finally, we found that the relationship between a crisis of faith and lower sleep quality was weaker for women. We discuss the implications of our results and suggest how future research may explore the relevance of a crisis of faith for well-being as well as other aspects of the human condition.
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Upenieks, L., Hill, T.D. & Orfanidis, C. Crisis of Faith and Sleep Quality in the United States: A Literal Dark Night of the Soul?. J Relig Health (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01958-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01958-6