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MICHAEL J. DONAHUE is currently an independent scholar and evaluation researcher who was formerly a research scientist at Search Institute in Minneapolis. He has a Ph.D. in personality-social psychology from Purdue University, and did postdoctoral work in psychology of religion at Brigham Young University. Dr. Donahue's most current publications concern a national study of giving patterns in Catholic and Protestant congregations, and “Catholicism and Religious Experience” in The Handbook of Religious Experience.
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Religion and the Well-Being of Adolescents
Article first published online: 14 APR 2010
DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1995.tb01328.x
1995 The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues
Additional Information
How to Cite
Donahue, M. J. and Benson, P. L. (1995), Religion and the Well-Being of Adolescents. Journal of Social Issues, 51: 145–160. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1995.tb01328.x
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MICHAEL J. DONAHUE is currently an independent scholar and evaluation researcher who was formerly a research scientist at Search Institute in Minneapolis. He has a Ph.D. in personality-social psychology from Purdue University, and did postdoctoral work in psychology of religion at Brigham Young University. Dr. Donahue's most current publications concern a national study of giving patterns in Catholic and Protestant congregations, and “Catholicism and Religious Experience” in The Handbook of Religious Experience.
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PETER L. BENSON, President of Search Institute, Minneapolis, has a Ph.D. in experimental social psychology from the University of Denver. Nationally known for his research in adolescent development, his most recent publications include “Religious Influences on Child and Adolescent Development” in The Handbook on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Inside America's Private Schools, published by the U.S. Department of Education. In 1990, he received the William James Award for theoretical contributions to the psychology of religion from Division 36 of the American Psychological Association.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 14 APR 2010
- Article first published online: 14 APR 2010
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
A literature review of the relation between religiousness and adolescent well-being is presented, along with new analyses from a large adolescent data base. It is found that the average level of religiousness of U.S. adolescents has not declined recently, although it does appear to decrease on average across the years of adolescence. African Americans are more religious than whites, and girls are more religious than boys. Religiousness is positively associated with prosocial values and behavior, and negatively related to suicide ideation and attempts, substance abuse, premature sexual involvement, and delinquency. It is unrelated to self-esteem. These results are found to be robust after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. The article concludes with policy suggestions for integrating religion's prosocial influences into larger societal programs.