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The Influence of Religious Factors on Drinking Behavior Among Young Indigenous Sami and Non-Sami Peers in Northern Norway

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Abstract

It has been hypothesized that Laestadianism has contributed to the less drinking observed among indigenous Sami. This paper further investigates the bivariate protective influence of Sami ethnicity on youth drinking behavior using logistic regressions. We simultaneously controlled for the influence of religious revival movements (Laestadianism or evangelic) and religious importance (being personally Christian), in addition to socio-demographics and parental factors. Cross-sectional data from the 1994/95 North Norwegian Youth Study including 2,950 (675 Sami) 15–19 year-old high school students (RR: 85%) was used. Sami ethnicity was statistically significant for two out of six alcohol outcome measures, after adjustment for religiosity and other covariates, indicating less current drinking and party drinking. Religiousness was associated with higher youth and parental abstinence across ethnicities. Generally, stronger protective influences on drinking behavior were found for religious importance (being personally Christian) than religious affiliation (Laestadianism). The non-significance between Sami and non-Sami drinking may partly be explained by ethnic differences in religiosity, but also socio-demographics (e.g., residing in the Sami Highland) and parental factors (e.g., abstinence) contributed to such a result. Laestadianism`s profound impact on Sami culture, and its strong anti-alcohol norms may have contributed to a religious-socio-cultural context of abstinence.

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Acknowledgments

This research has been financed with the aid of EXTRA funds from the Norwegian Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation, Psychiatric Research Centre for Northern Norway, Medical Research Funding for Nord Troms, and Finnmark and Sami National Centre for Mental Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Sami Health Research, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tromsø, 9037, Tromsø, Norway

    Anna Rita Spein & Marita Melhus

  2. Department of History and Religious Studies, University of Tromsø, 9037, Tromsø, Norway

    Roald E. Kristiansen

  3. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Department, University Hospital of North Norway/Regional Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University of Tromsø, 9038, Tromsø, Norway

    Siv E. Kvernmo

  4. Center for Sami Health Research, Box 71, 9735, Karasjok, Norway

    Anna Rita Spein

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  1. Anna Rita Spein
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  4. Siv E. Kvernmo
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Correspondence to Anna Rita Spein.

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Spein, A.R., Melhus, M., Kristiansen, R.E. et al. The Influence of Religious Factors on Drinking Behavior Among Young Indigenous Sami and Non-Sami Peers in Northern Norway. J Relig Health 50, 1024–1039 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-010-9335-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-010-9335-x

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