Abstract
The Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSRFQ) was developed and published in 1997 as a very brief and general purpose self-report instrument that provides an overall index of strength of religious faith. It was developed to be used with most all faith traditions and over the decade numerous studies from across the globe have been conducted in multiple languages and cultures as well as within multiple faith traditions. Overall, published and peer reviewed research has found the scale to be reliable, valid, and useful in multiple settings applied to diverse research, clinical, medical, and educational environments as well. Since the scale is brief, completely free to use, and general enough for diverse faith and spiritual traditions and cultures it can be integrated into many different research projects with diverse populations as well as can be used clinically in medical, psychiatric, and educational environments. This chapter introduces the scale, discusses the theoretical underpinnings of the instrument and the individual items utilized in its development, highlights much of the research that has investigated the psychometric properties of the instrument, and summarizes many of the major results from numerous research studies that have used the SCSRFQ during the past several decades. The chapter also discusses some of the more relevant literature regarding assessment approaches to religious and spiritual engagement as well as a general critique of the SCSRFQ approach. The scale published in multiple languages is also includes in the chapter as well.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Akin, A., Turan, M. E., & Altundağ, Y. (2015). The validity and reliability of Turkish version of the Santa Clara strength of religious faith questionnaire. Journal of Educational & Instructional Studies in the World, 5(1), 35–38.
Atefoe, E., Akotia, C., & Nyarko, K. (2017). Religiosity, social support and social negativity as predictors of mental health of women in Ghana. Ghana Social Science, 14(1), 31.
Cummings, J. P., Carson, C. S., Shrestha, S., Kunik, M. E., Armento, M. E., Stanley, M. A., & Amspoker, A. B. (2015). Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire: Psychometric analysis in older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 19(1), 86–97.
Dianni, M., Proios, M., & Kouthouris, C. (2014). Structural validity of ‘Santa Clara strength of religious faith questionnaire’in greek sample. Religions, 5(1), 157–164.
Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging Working Group. (1999). In E. John (Ed.), Multidimensional measurement of religiousness/spirituality for use in health research. Kalamazoo, MI: Fetzer Institute.
Freiheit, S. R., Sonstegard, K., Schmitt, A., & Vye, C. (2006). Religiosity and spirituality: A psychometric evaluation of the Santa Clara strength of religious faith questionnaire. Pastoral Psychology, 55(1), 27–33.
Hall, D. E., Meador, K. G., & Koenig, H. G. (2008). Measuring religiousness in health research: Review and critique. Journal of Religion and Health, 47(2), 134–163.
Koenig, H., Parkerson, G. R., Jr., & Meador, K. G. (1997). Religion index for psychiatric research: A 5-item measure for use in health outcome studies [Letter to the editor]. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 885–886.
Lewis, A. C., Shevlin, M., McGuckin, C., & Navratil, M. (2001). The Santa Clara strength of religious faith questionnaire: Confirmatory factor analysis. Pastoral Psychology, 49, 379–384.
Lucchetti, G., Lucchetti, A. L. G., & Vallada, H. (2013). Measuring spirituality and religiosity in clinical research: A systematic review of instruments available in the Portuguese language. Sao Paulo Medical Journal, 131(2), 112–122.
Mills, B. A., Bersamina, R. B., & Plante, T. G. (2007). The impact of college student immersion service learning trips on coping with stress and vocational identity. The Journal for Civic Commitment, 9, 1–8.
Mohamad, A. S., Draman, S., Aris, M. A. M., Musa, R., Rus, R. M., & Malik, M. (2018). Depression, anxiety, and stress among adolescents in Kuantan and its association with religiosity-a pilot study. IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 17(2).
Mussap, A. J. (2009). Strength of faith and body image in Muslim and non-Muslim women. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 12(2), 121–127.
Pakpour, A. H., Plante, T. G., Saffari, M., & Fridlund, B. (2014). The Santa Clara strength of religious faith questionnaire (SCSORF): A validation study on Iranian Muslim patients undergoing dialysis. Journal of Religion and Health, 53(6), 1885–1897.
Pardini, D., Plante, T. G., Sherman, A., & Stump, J. E. (2001). Religious faith and spirituality in substance abuse recovery: Determining the mental health benefits. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 19, 347–354.
Pargament, K., Exline, J., Jones, J., Mahoney, A., & Shafranske, E. (2013). APA handbooks in psychology: APA handbook of psychology, religion, and spirituality. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Pargament, K. I. (2007). Spiritually integrated psychotherapy: Understanding and addressing the sacred. New York, NY: Guilford.
Park, C. L. (2010). Making sense of the meaning literature: An integrative review of meaning making and its effects on adjustment to stressful life events. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 257.
Plante, T. G. (2009). Spiritual practices in psychotherapy: Thirteen tools for enhancing psychological health. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Plante, T. G. (Ed.). (2010a). Contemplative practices in action: Spirituality, meditation, and health. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger/ABC-CLIO.
Plante, T. G. (2010b). The Santa Clara strength of religious faith questionnaire: Assessing faith engagement in a brief and nondenominational manner. Religions, 1, 3–8.
Plante, T. G. (2016). Beyond mindfulness: Expanding integration of spirituality and religion into psychotherapy. Open Theology, 2, 135–144.
Plante, T. G., & Boccaccini, M. (1997a). The Santa Clara strength of religious faith questionnaire. Pastoral Psychology, 45, 375–387.
Plante, T. G., & Boccaccini, M. (1997b). Reliability and validity of the Santa Clara strength of religious faith questionnaire. Pastoral Psychology, 45, 429–437.
Plante, T. G., & Halman, K. E. (2016). Nurturing compassion development among college students: A longitudinal study. Journal of College and Character, 17(3), 164–173.
Plante, T. G., Lackey, K., & Hwang, J. (2009). The impact of immersion trips on development of compassion among college students. Journal of Experiential Education, 32, 28–43.
Plante, T. G., Simicic, A., Anderson, E., & Manuel, G. (2002). Stress and coping among displaced Bosnian refugees: An exploratory study. International Journal of Stress Management, 9, 31–41.
Plante, T. G., Vallaeys, C., Sherman, A. C., & Wallston, K. A. (2002). The development of a brief version of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire. Pastoral Psychology, 50, 359–368.
Plante, T. G., Yancey, S., Sherman, A., & Guertin, M. (2000). The association between strength of religious faith and psychological functioning. Pastoral Psychology, 48, 405–412.
Richards, P. S., & Bergin, A. E. (1997). A spiritual strategy for counseling and psychotherapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Saffari, M., Zeidi, I. M., Pakpour, A. H., & Koenig, H. G. (2013). Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL): A study on Muslims. Journal of Religion and Health, 52(2), 631–641.
Sherman, A. C., Plante, T. G., Simonton, S., Adams, D., Burris, K., & Harbison, C. (1999). Assessing religious faith in medical patients: Cross-validation of the Santa Clara Strength of religious faith questionnaire. Pastoral Psychology, 48, 129–142.
Sherman, A. C., Plante, T. G., Simonton, S., Adams, D., Burris, K., & Harbison, C. (2000). A multidimensional measure of religious involvement for cancer patients: The Duke religious index. Journal of Supportive Care in Cancer, 8, 102–109.
Sherman, A. C., Simonton, S., Adams, D. C., Latif, U., Plante, T. G., Burris, S. K., & Poling, T. (2001). Measuring religious faith in cancer patients: Reliability and construct validity of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire. Journal of Psycho-Oncology, 10, 436–443.
Sisemore, T. (2016). The psychology of religion and spirituality: From the inside out. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Spilka, B., & Ladd, K. L. (2012). The psychology of prayer: A scientific approach. Guilford Press. American Psychological Association (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 57, 1060–1073.
Stanley, M. A., Bush, A. L., Camp, M. E., Jameson, J. P., Phillips, L. L., Barber, C. R., … Cully, J. A. (2011). Older adults’ preferences for religion/spirituality in treatment for anxiety and depression. Aging & Mental Health, 15(3), 334–343.
Storch, E. A., Roberti, J. W., Bravata, E., & Storch, J. B. (2004). Psychometric investigation of the Santa Clara strength of religious faith questionnaire—Short-form. Pastoral Psychology, 52(6), 479–483.
Walker, J. N. J., & Longmire-Avital, B. (2013). The impact of religious faith and internalized homonegativity on resiliency for black lesbian, gay, and bisexual emerging adults. Developmental Psychology, 49(9), 1723.
Wnuk, M. (2017). A psychometric evaluation of the Santa Clara strength of religious faith questionnaire among students from Poland and Chile. Pastoral Psychology, 66(4), 551–562.
Wnuk, M., Marcinkowski, J. T., Hędzelek, M., & Świstak-Sawa, S. (2010). Religious-spiritual correlates of strength of hope and meaning of life among oncology patients. Psychoonkologia, 14(1), 14–20.
Worthington, E. L., Jr., Wade, N. G., Hight, T. L., Ripley, J. S., McCullough, M. E., Berry, J. W., … Connor, L. (2003). The religious commitment inventory--10: Development, refinement, and validation of a brief scale for research and counseling. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 50(1), 84.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Appendices
Appendix A: The Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire
Please answer the following questions about religious faith using the scale below. Indicate the level of agreement (or disagreement) for each statement.
-
1 = strongly disagree
-
2 = disagree
-
3 = agree
-
4 = strongly agree
_____ 1. My religious faith is extremely important to me.
_____ 2. I pray daily.
_____ 3. I look to my faith as a source of inspiration.
_____ 4. I look to my faith as providing meaning and purpose in my life.
_____ 5. I consider myself active in my faith or church.
_____ 6. My faith is an important part of who I am as a person.
_____ 7. My relationship with God is extremely important to me.
_____ 8. I enjoy being around others who share my faith.
_____ 9. I look to my faith as a source of comfort.
_____ 10. My faith impacts many of my decisions.
To score, add the total scores. They will range from 10 (low faith) to 40 (high faith)
Primary Reference: Plante, T.G., & Boccaccini, M. (1997). The Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire. Pastoral Psychology, 45, 375-387
Appendix B: The Brief Version of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire
Please answer the following questions about religious faith using the scale below. Indicate the level of agreement (or disagreement) for each statement.
-
1 = strongly disagree
-
2 = disagree
-
3 = agree
-
4 = strongly agree
__ 1. I pray daily.
__ 2. I look to my faith as providing meaning and purpose in my life.
__ 3. I consider myself active in my faith or church.
__ 4. I enjoy being around others who share my faith.
__ 5. My faith impacts many of my decisions.
Primary Reference: Plante, T.G., Vallaeys, C., Sherman, A.C., & Wallston, K.A. (2002).
The development of a brief version of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire. Pastoral Psychology, 50, 359-368.
Appendix C: The SCSRFQ in Multiple Languages
The SCSRFQ is available in multiple languages as the scale has been translated by researchers across the globe. These are available and free to use.
1.1 Spanish
1.1.1 Cuestionario Santa Clara de Fuerza de Fé Religiosa
T.G. Plante & M. T. Boccaccini
Por favor responda las siguientes preguntas acerca de la fé religiosa empleando la escala que sigue. Indique el nivel de acuerdo (o desacuerdo) para cada enunciado.
-
1 = en desacuerdo total
-
2 = en desacuerdo
-
3 = de acuerdo
-
4 = de acuerdo totalmente
_____ 1. Mi fe religiosa es extremadamente importante para mí.
_____ 2. Rezo todos los días
_____ 3. Veo mi fe como una fuente de inspiración.
_____ 4. Veo mi fe como que le da significado y propósito a mi vida
_____ 5. Me considero activo en mi fe o iglesia.
_____ 6. Mi fe es una parte importante de quien soy como persona.
_____ 7. Mi relación con Dios es extremadamente importante para mí.
_____ 8. Disfruto estar rodeado de otros que comparten mi fe.
_____ 9. Veo a mi fe como una fuente de alivio.
_____ 10. Mi fe tiene impacto en muchas de mis decisiones.
Para calificar, sume los puntajes. La suma variará de 10 (baja fé) a 40 (alta fé)
1.2 Portuguese
1.2.1 Questionário de Santa Clara de Força da Fé Religiosa
T.G. Plante & M. T. Boccaccini
Por favor, responda ás seguintes questões sobre fé religiosa, usando a cotação abaixo mencionada. Indique o grau de concordância (ou discordância) para cada uma das afirmações.
-
1= Discordo totalmente
-
2= Discordo
-
3= Concordo
-
4= Concordo plenamente
-
1.
A minha fé religiosa é extremamente importante para mim._____
-
2.
Rezo diariamente._____
-
3.
Vejo a minha fé como uma fonte de inspiração._____
-
4.
Vejo a minha fé como provedora de significado e propósito na minha vida.
-
5.
Considero-me activo na minha fé ou igreja._____
-
6.
A minha fé é parte importante do meu ser enquanto pessoa._____
-
7.
A minha relação com Deus é extremamente importante para mim.
-
8.
Agrada-me ter a companhia de outros que partilham da minha fé._____
-
9.
Vejo a minha fé como fonte de conforto._____
-
10.
A minha fé influencia muitas das minhas decisões.
1.3 Italian
1.3.1 Questionario “Santa Clara” sugli effetti della fede religiosa
Thomas G. Plante e Marcus Beccaccini
Trad. Ital. a cura di:
Albacenzina Borelli*, Alberto Lepore*, Massimo Lombardi°, Rosaria Mafalda Patella*
* Dipartimento di Salute Mentale ASL Fg della Provincia di Foggia
°Servizio di Oncologia – Osp. Lastaria ASL Fg della Provincia di Foggia
Per favore risponda alle seguenti domande circa la sua fede religiosa usando la scala seguente. Scelga la risposta che meglio la descrive:
-
1 sono completamente in disaccordo
-
2 sono in disaccordo
-
3 sono d’accordo
-
4 sono completamente d’accordo;
-
1.
La mia fede religiosa è estremamente importante per me 1 2 3 4
-
2.
Io prego giornalmente 1 2 3 4
-
3.
Penso che la mia fede sia fonte di ispirazione 1 2 3 4
-
4.
Penso che la mia fede dia significato e scopo alla mia vita 1 2 3 4
-
5.
Mi considero attivo nella fede e nella chiesa 1 2 3 4
-
6.
La mia fede è una parte importante di me come persona 1 2 3 4
-
7.
La mia relazione con Dio è estremamente importante per me 1 2 3 4
-
8.
Mi piace frequentare altre persona che condividono la mia stessa fede 1 2 3 4
-
9.
Considero la mia fede fonte di conforto 1 2 3 4
-
10.
La mia fede influenza molte delle mie decisioni 1 2 3 4
1.3.2 Questionario “Santa Clara” sugli effetti della fede religiosa
Forma breve
Thomas G. Plante e Marcus Beccaccini
Trad. Ital. a cura di:
Albacenzina Borelli*, Alberto Lepore*, Massimo Lombardi°, Rosaria Mafalda Patella*
* Dipartimento di Salute Mentale ASL Fg della Provincia di Foggia
°Servizio di Oncologia – Osp. Lastaria ASL Fg della Provincia di Foggia
-
1.
Io prego giornalmente 1 2 3 4
-
2.
Penso che la mia fede dia significato e scopo alla mia vita 1 2 3 4
-
3.
Mi considero attivo nella fede e nella chiesa 1 2 3 4
-
4.
Mi piace frequentare persone che condividono la mia stessa fede 1 2 3 4
-
5.
La mia fede influenza molte delle mie decisioni 1 2 3 4
1.4 Czech
1.4.1 Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire
Prosíme odpovězte na následující otázky o náboženské víře s použitím stupnice (viz níže). Označte stupeň souhlasu (nebo nesouhlasu) ke každému tvrzení.
-
1 = výrazně nesouhlasím
-
2 = nesouhlasím
-
3 = souhlasím
-
4 = výrazně souhlasím
........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ............ | 1. Moje víra je pro mě velmi významná. 2. Denně se modlím. 3. Vním svoji víru jako zdroj inspirace. 4. Vnímám svoji víru jako zdroj smyslu a významu pro můj život. 5. Považuji se v mé víře nebo církvi za aktivního. 6. Moje víra je důležitou součástí toho, kdo vlastně jsem. 7. Můj vztah k bohu je pro mě velmi významný. 8. Jsem rád/a mezi lidmi, kteří sdílejí moji víru. 9. Vnímám svoji víru jako zdroj útěchy. 10. Moje víra určuje řadu z mých rozhodnutí |
1.5 Polish
1.5.1 Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire
Proszę wskaż w jakim stopniu zgadzasz się (nie zgadzasz się) z poniższymi stwierdzeniami w odniesiu do swojej wiary. W tym celu wykorzystaj poniższą skalę:
-
1 = zdecydowanie się nie zgadzam
-
2 = nie zgadzam się
-
3= zgadzam się
-
4 = zdecydowanie się zgadzam
-
1.
Moja wiara ma dla mnie duże znaczenie.
-
2.
Modlę się każdego dnia.
-
3.
Moja wiara jest dla mnie źródłem inspiracji w życiu.
-
4.
Moja wiara sprawia, że moje życie ma sens i cel.
-
5.
Uważam, że jestem zaangażowany/a w życie moje wspólnoty wyzaniowej.
-
6.
Moja wiara jest ważną częścią mnie jako osoby.
-
7.
Moja relacja z Bogiem ma dla mnie bardzo duże znaczenie.
-
8.
Dobrze czuję się w towarzystwie osób, o których wiem, że podzielają moje przekonania dotyczące wiary.
-
9.
Moja wiara stanowi dla mnie oparcie.
-
10.
Moja wiara ma duży wpływ na deczje, jakie podejmuję w życiu.
1.6 German
Santa Clara Fragebogen zur Stärke des religiösen Glaubens (SCSORF) (Thomas Plante et al., 1997, 2002; dtsch. Arndt Büssing) Bitte beantworten Sie die folgenden Fragen zu Ihrer Religiosität, in dem sie mit Hilfe folgender Skala für jede Aussage Ihre Zustimmung (oder Ablehnung) ausdrücken: | starke Ablehnung | Ablehnung | Zustimmung | starke Zustimmung | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mein Glaube ist für mich extrem wichtig | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
2a | Ich bete jeden Tag | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
3 | Mein Glaube ist für mich eine Quelle der Inspiration | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
4a | Es ist mein Glaube, der meinem Leben Sinn und Bedeutung gibt | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
5a | Ich schätze mich selber als aktiv in meinem Glauben oder meiner Kirche ein | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
6 | Mein Glaube ist ein wichtiger Aspekt meiner Persönlichkeit | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
7 | Meine Beziehung zu Gott ist für mich extrem wichtig | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
8a | Ich bin gerne mit Menschen meiner Glaubensüberzeugungen zusammen | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
9 | Mein Glaube ist für mich eine Quelle des Trostes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
10a | Mein Glaube beeinflusst viele meiner Entscheidungen | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
1.7 Chínese
圣克拉拉宗教信仰程度问卷
请使用下面的数字所代表的符合程度来回答以下关于宗教信仰的问题。请对每一个题项标出与自己符合或不符合的程度。
-
1=非常不符合
-
2=不符合
-
3=符合
-
4=非常符合
_____ 1. 我的宗教信仰对于我来说极其重要。 |
_____ 2. 我每天礼拜/祈祷。 |
_____ 3. 我把我的信仰看作是一种鼓舞我的力量。 |
_____ 4. 我的信仰为我指明了生活的意义与目的。 |
_____ 5. 我认为我在信仰或礼拜方面是积极主动的。 |
_____ 6. 我的信仰是我人生的重要组成部分之一。 |
_____ 7. 我与造物主的关系在我看来是非常重要的。 |
_____ 8. 我喜欢与那些与我有着共同信仰的人共处。 |
_____ 9. 我把我的信仰看作是一种慰藉的来源。 |
_____ 10. 我的信仰影响着我的许多决定。 |
1.8 Farsi
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Plante, T.G. (2021). The Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSRFQ): A Brief, Nondenominational, and Multicultural Assessment Tool. In: Ai, A.L., Wink, P., Paloutzian, R.F., Harris, K.A. (eds) Assessing Spirituality in a Diverse World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52140-0_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52140-0_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-52139-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-52140-0
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)