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The relationship between spirituality and quality of life among university students: An autoregressive cross-lagged panel analysis

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Abstract

University represents a critical transition from secondary school. University students are exposed to many new opportunities and intellectual stimulations, and some may find university life stressful and demanding. The quality of life (QoL) of university students is thus an important topic for researchers and educators alike. Furthermore, many universities are now paying attention to the spirituality of students, besides emphasizing their cognitive and psychosocial development. Using a sample of 1,160 Chinese university students mainly recruited from Hong Kong, this autoregressive cross-lagged panel study investigated a causal model of spirituality and QoL over a 3-year period. The study also tested the causal model for factorial invariance (configural, measurement, and structural invariance) across gender, religion, and time. Results indicated that spirituality was a causal predictor of QoL but not vice versa. There was some evidence to support factorial invariance of the model across gender, religion, and time. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Ralph L. Piedmont for his permission to translate and use the Spirituality Transcendence Scale. We are grateful for the contribution of Doris Ng in reviewing the many spirituality measures, identifying, and translating the STS, as well as in data collection. Doris Mok and Eddie Ng contributed to the planning at the initial stage of this project. Hollace Chait, Stephanie Lam, Tina Lau, and Victoria Leung assisted in the literature review. Sing-hang Cheung provided useful inputs during our research meetings. To all of them, we express our gratitude.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Wilfred W. F. Lau

  2. Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China

    C. Harry Hui, Jasmine Lam & Esther Y. Y. Lau

  3. Department of Psychology, The University of Macau, Av. Padre Tomas Pereira, Macau SAR, China

    Shu-Fai Cheung

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  1. Wilfred W. F. Lau
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Correspondence to Wilfred W. F. Lau.

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Lau, W.W.F., Hui, C.H., Lam, J. et al. The relationship between spirituality and quality of life among university students: An autoregressive cross-lagged panel analysis. High Educ 69, 977–990 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-014-9817-y

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