Spirituality and religiosity as cross-cultural aspects of human experience.

This study evaluated the validity of western spirituality and religiosity constructs in a nonwestern culture. The Faith Maturity Scale, Religiosity Index, and measures of the Five-Factor Model of Personality, purpose in life, altruism, self-actualization, subjective well-being, individualism-collectivism, and materialism were administered to 654 Filipino nationals. Results indicated that the Faith Maturity Scale and Religiosity Index were reliable and valid in the Philippine sample. Furthermore, among four competing structural equation models of potential causal relations among spirituality, religiosity, and psychological flourishing (SEM A, B, C, and D), Models B and D demonstrated exact fit via the chi square test. SEM D, which specified spirituality as the underlying predictor of religiosity and psychological flourishing, fit the data more parsimoniously than SEM B, which specified psychological flourishing as the predictor of both religiosity and spirituality. Finally, the Faith Maturity Scale and Religiosity Index demonstrated incremental validity over the Five-Factor Model of Personality in explaining significant additional variance in salient criteria of human functioning. Implications and limitations were discussed regarding the generalizability of spirituality and religiosity across different religious and psychological cultures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Indonesian adolescents' spiritual and religious experiences and their longitudinal relations with socioemotional functioning.

The spirituality and religiosity of Indonesian Muslim adolescents were examined longitudinally as were the relations of spirituality and religiosity with (mal)adjustment. At Time 1 (T1), 959 seventh-grade Muslim adolescents were screened for selection of a sample; at Time 2 (T2), 183 eighth-grade adolescents participated; and at Time 3 (T3), 300 ninth-grade adolescents (164 new participants) participated. At T1, adolescents' peer likeability was assessed; at T2, adolescents' global and cognitive esteem were measured; and at T2 and T3, adolescents' (mal)adjustment, spirituality, and religiosity were assessed. Adolescents and parents rated aspects of (mal)adjustment, spirituality, and religiosity. Teachers also rated adolescents' (mal)adjustment. In general, we found that T2 spirituality and religiosity were positively related to T3 adjustment and negatively related to T3 maladjustment, although in panel models, support for prediction of outcomes from spirituality and religiosity was found only for loneliness and socially appropriate behavior. In addition, there was some evidence in the models that certain aspects of (mal)adjustment (self-esteem and social competence, and to a marginal degree, parent-rated internalizing problems and teacher-rated prosociality) predicted spirituality and religiosity longitudinally. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measure of religious background and behavior for use in behavior change research.

Consideration of religiosity as a factor in behavior change research requires a reliable measure of religious behavior. Such a measure may be particularly helpful in research on substance misuse given the negative association between religiosity and substance use and the role of religiosity and spirituality often reported in the process of recovery from substance use disorders. In this regard, this article describes the development and evaluation of the Religious Background and Behavior (RBB) questionnaire as a brief measure of religious practices. The results suggest the RBB is made up of two factors, labeled God Consciousness and Formal Practices , and that the RBB possesses excellent test-retest reliability and satisfactory internal consistency. It is concluded that the RBB can serve as a reliable instrument for assessing religious behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in personal religion/spirituality during and after childhood abuse: A review and synthesis.

Psychologists have begun to consider the potential role of traumatic experiences on the victim’s spirituality and religiousness as well as the role personal religious and spiritual faith might have in recovery from abuse. In this review, the authors were particularly interested in these issues as they pertain to childhood abuse. The authors identified 34 studies of child abuse as they relate to spirituality and religiosity that included information on a total of 19, 090 participants. The studies were classified according to both the form of abuse and the form of religiousness or spirituality that were examined. The majority of studies indicated either some decline in religiousness or spirituality (N = 14) or a combination of both growth and decline (N = 12). Seven studies gave preliminary indications that religiousness/spirituality can moderate the development of posttraumatic symptoms or symptoms associated with other Axis I disorders. The authors discuss implications for both therapy and future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability and change in adolescent spirituality/religiosity: A person-centered approach.

Although there has been a substantial increase over the past decade in studies that have examined the psychosocial correlates of spirituality/religiosity in adolescence, very little is known about spirituality/religiosity as a domain of development in its own right. To address this limitation, the authors identified configurations of multiple dimensions of spirituality/religiosity across 2 time points with an empirical classification procedure (cluster analysis) and assessed development in these configurations at the sample and individual level. Participants included 756 predominately Canadian-born adolescents (53% female, 47% male) from southern Ontario, Canada, who completed a survey in Grade 11 (M age = 16.41 years) and Grade 12 (M age = 17.36 years). Measures included religious activity involvement, enjoyment of religious activities, the Spiritual Transcendence Index, wondering about spiritual issues, frequency of prayer, and frequency of meditation. Sample-level development (structural stability and change) was assessed by examining whether the structural configurations of the clusters were consistent over time. Individual-level development was assessed by examining intraindividual stability and change in cluster membership over time. Results revealed that a five cluster-solution was optimal at both grades. Clusters were identified as aspiritual/irreligious, disconnected wonderers, high institutional and personal, primarily personal, and meditators. With the exception of the high institutional and personal cluster, the cluster structures were stable over time. There also was significant intraindividual stability in all clusters over time; however, a significant proportion of individuals classified as high institutional and personal in Grade 11 moved into the primarily personal cluster in Grade 12. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The content validity of juvenile psychopathy: An empirical examination.

This study examined the content validity of a juvenile psychopathy measure, the Childhood Psychopathy Scale (CPS; D. R. Lynam, 1997), based on a downward translation of an adult instrument, the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 1991). The CPS was compared with two other indices of juvenile psychopathy: (a) an index derived from expert ratings and (b) an empirical index based on correlations with adult psychopathy. The 100 items of the Common Language Q-Sort (CLQ; A. Caspi et al., 1992) provided a common metric for the comparison. Psychopathy and personality were assessed at age 13 years with the mother-reported CPS and the CLQ. Psychopathy was assessed at age 24 years with the interviewer-rated Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV; S. D. Hart, D. N. Cox, & R. D. Hare, 1995). Data from over 250 participants of the middle sample of the Pittsburgh Youth Study were used to examine these relations. Item content analyses demonstrated considerable overlap among the three indices, indicating that the downward translation utilizes criteria similar to those of experts and the empirically-derived measure. In addition, these indices, even after removing overlapping items, demonstrated considerable convergence, also supporting the content validity of the downward translation. These results suggest that the downward translation method is adequate for understanding the juvenile psychopathy construct. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychometric properties and utility of the Short Sadistic Impulse Scale (SSIS).

Sadistic personality disorder (SPD) has been underresearched and often misunderstood in forensic settings. Furthermore, personality disorders in general are the subject of much controversy in terms of their classification (i.e., whether they should be categorical or dimensional). The Sadistic Attitudes and Behaviors Scale (SABS; Davies & Hand, 2003; O'Meara, Davies, & Barnes-Holmes, 2004) is a recently developed scale for measuring sadistic inclinations. Derived from this is the Short Sadistic Impulse Scale (SSIS), which has proved to be a strong unidimensional measure of sadistic inclination. Through cumulative scaling, it was investigated whether the SSIS could measure sadism on a continuum of interest, thus providing a dimensional view of the construct. Further, the SSIS was administered along with a number of other measures related to sadism in order to assess the validity of the scale. Results showed that the SSIS has strong construct and discriminant validity and may be useful as a screening measure for sadistic impulse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Psychometric Detection of Schizotypy: Do Putative Schizotypy Indicators Identify the Same Latent Class?

The authors examined whether three indicators of Schizotypy, the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS), Magical Ideation Scale (MIS), and Perceptual Aberration Scale (PAS), identify a common latent class or taxon as conceptualized by P. E. Meehl (1962, 1990). The separate and joint latent structures of these scales were evaluated using taxometric methods in two large, independent samples. Replicating prior findings, the RSAS and PAS each identified latent taxa with base rates approximating .10. Results for the taxonicity of the MIS were less consistent. Analyses of joint latent structure indicated that the RSAS-identified taxon was essentially independent of constructs measured by the PAS or MIS. Measures commonly thought to tap the same latent class, conjectured to be schizotypy, do not share this property. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Leadership and followership: Same animal, different spots?

This study examined the relationship between the constructs of leadership, as operationalized through the Leadership Personality Survey (LPS), and followership, as operationalized by the Power of followership Survey (PFS). The LPS is based on the 5-factor model of personality that is widely regarded as the premier model for understanding trait personality dimensions. The PFS is based on R. E. Kelley's (1992) model of followership styles. Data were collected from 130 students at a military college as part of their involvement in an academic course on leadership. Correlational analyses revealed numerous significant positive relationships between these 2 con- structs. Regression modeling provided insight into the relations of personality dimensions and followership. Limitations to this study and implications of these findings as well as future research directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent and peer relationships and relational spirituality in adolescents and young adults.

Research showing the protective qualities of Relational Spirituality, the experience of an ongoing dynamic personal relationship with G-d, against psychopathology in adolescents prompted the current investigation of its developmental correlates. Relational Spirituality in adolescence has been shown to have an unfolding heritable contribution and to be intertwined with a process of spiritual individuation, to which the current study adds the contribution of parents and peers to the developmental process. Participants were 615 adolescents and young adults representing a diverse range of ethnicities and religious affiliations. To measure parenting and friend variables, the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), Parental Spiritual Support Scale, and Friends Spiritual Support Scale were utilized. Relational Spirituality was measured using items from several subscales of the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality to obtain a composite score. Findings of multivariate regression analyses indicated that Maternal Spiritual Support, Paternal Care, and Friends Spiritual Support were significantly positively associated with Relational Spirituality, with Maternal Spiritual Support influencing the selection of peers who offer Friends Spiritual Support. These results underscore the importance of parents and peers in facilitating the development of Relational Spirituality, particularly through maternal openness to discussion about spirituality/religiosity and through paternal affection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prion protein immunohistochemical staining in the brains of monkeys with transmissible spongiform encephalopathy

BACKGROUND: Spirituality is receiving greater attention in the medical literature, especially in the family practice journals. A widely applicable instrument to assess spirituality has been lacking, however, and this has hampered research on the relationship between spirituality and health in the clinical setting. METHODS: A new instrument, called the Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale, was designed to be widely applicable across religious traditions, to assess actions as well as beliefs to address key components not assessed in other available measures, and to be easily administered and scored. The instrument is a questionnaire containing 26 items in a modified Likert-type format. Following careful pretesting, the instrument was administered to 50 family practice patients and 33 family practice educators. The validity and reliability of the instrument were then evaluated. RESULTS: By several measures, instrument reliability and validity are very good, with high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .92); strong test-retest reliability (r = .92); a clear four-factor structure; and a high correlation (r = .80) with another established measure of spirituality, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale. CONCLUSIONS: The Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale (SIBS) appears to have good reliability and validity. Compared with other instruments that assess spirituality, the SIBS has several theoretical advantages, including broader scope, use of terms that avoid cultural-religious bias, and assessment of both beliefs and actions. More testing is underway to further assess its usefulness.     

Examining relations among attachment, religiosity, and new age spirituality using the Adult Attachment Interview.

This study was the first to examine relations between attachment and religion-spirituality in adults using a developmentally validated attachment assessment, the Adult Attachment Interview. Security of attachment was expected to be linked to a religiosity-spirituality that is socially based on the parental relationships and reflects extrapolation of attachment experiences with sensitive parents to perceived relationships with a loving God. Insecurity of attachment was expected to be related to religiosity- spirituality via emotional compensation for states of insecurity. Participants (N = 84; 40% men; mean age = 29 years) were drawn from religious-spiritual groups. Religiousness-spirituality was assessed with questionnaires. Results generally supported the hypotheses ( ps = .05). Estimates of parental loving were linked to socially based religiosity, loving God images, and gradual religious changes occurring at early ages and in life contexts indicating a positive influence of close relationships. Estimates of parental rejection and role reversal were related to New Age spirituality and sudden-intense religious changes occurring in life contexts of turmoil. Current attachment state of mind was generally unrelated to traditional religiosity, but current preoccupation, unresolved- disorganized, and cannot classify states were associated with New Age spirituality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High sensory-processing sensitivity at work.

In this study, the construct validity of an instrument for the measurement of sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS), the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS), was examined. Among the outcomes, first, the results confirm an earlier conclusion of researchers that the HSPS does not measure a one-dimensional construct. Most hypotheses concerning relationships with the personality variables sense of coherence, alienation, self-efficacy, and negative affectivity were supported. Second, the SPS-construct was introduced into the field of work stress. Positive relationships with work stress facets pertaining to the second stage of stress were found. Third, the user-friendliness of the HSPS was addressed by shortening the instrument without affecting its reliability and validity. Implications for interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and psychometric properties of the OCD Family Functioning (OFF) Scale.

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) influences not only patients but also family members. Although the construct of family accommodation has received attention in OCD literature, no measures of overall family functioning are currently available. The OCD Family Functioning (OFF) Scale was developed to explore the context, extent, and perspectives of functional impairment in families affected by OCD. It is a three-part, self-report measure capturing independent perspectives of patients and relatives. A total of 400 subjects were enrolled between 2008 and 2010 from specialized OCD clinics and OCD research studies. Psychometric properties of this scale were examined including internal consistency, test–retest reliability, convergent and divergent validity, and exploratory factor analyses. Both patient and relative versions of the OFF Scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.96). The test–retest reliability was also adequate (ICC = 0.80). Factor analyses determined that the OFF Scale comprises a family functioning impairment factor and four OCD symptom factors that were consistent with previously reported OCD symptom dimension studies. The OFF Scale demonstrated excellent convergent validity with the Family Accommodation Scale and the Work and Social Adjustment Scale. Information gathered regarding emotional impact and family role-specific impairment was novel and not captured by other examined scales. The OFF Scale is a reliable and valid instrument for the clinical and research assessment of family functioning in pediatric and adult OCD. This will facilitate the exploration of family functioning impairment as a potential risk factor, as a moderator and as a treatment outcome measure in OCD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preliminary Reliability and Validity of the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Schizophrenia.

This study provides preliminary psychometric support for a version of the Clinician-Administered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Scale (CAPS; D. D. Blake et al., 1990) adapted for use with patients with schizophrenia (CAPS-S; J. S. Gearon. S. Thomas-Lohrman, & A. S. Bellack, 2001). Nineteen women with schizophrenia and co-occurring illicit drug use disorders were administered the CAPS-S, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV diagnoses (SCID). and scales measuring trauma-related psychopathology. The results indicate that the CAPS-S can distinguish between those with and without PTSD and that the symptom clusters measure unified constructs. Interrater and test-retest reliability were high for PTSD diagnosis and symptom clusters. Solid convergent validity was demonstrated between the CAPS-S and SCID-based PTSD diagnoses and the Impact of Event Scale. There is also preliminary evidence of discriminant validity. These results support the use of the CAPS-S in women with schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Referential Thinking Scale as a measure of schizotypy: Scale development and initial construct validation.

This article describes the development of a measure of schizotypic referential thinking. The authors present a 34-item questionnaire that includes a wide variety of referential thoughts and experiences, including both simple and guilty ideas of reference. The Referential Thinking Scale (REF) displays adequate internal consistency and strong relations with other measures of schizotypy, such as the well-known Perceptual Aberration and Magical Ideation Scales. Item-level factor analysis of the REF suggests that referential thought is multidimensional in nature, including both simple and guilty ideas of reference components. The REF displays minimal relations with acquiescence, social desirability, and sex. The REF does not appear to assess normative personality constructs that involve heightened self-awareness such as self-monitoring, self-consciousness, or social desirability, nor does it appear to be unduly related to psychological state variables. The REF was developed in order to provide an additional schizotypy measure for use in large-scale screening efforts and schizotypy studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religiosity/spirituality and health: A critical review of the evidence for biological pathways.

The authors review evidence regarding the biological processes that may link religiosity/spirituality to health. A growing body of observational evidence supports the hypothesis that links religiosity/spirituality to physiological processes. Although much of the earliest evidence came from cross-sectional studies with questionable generalizability and potential confounding, more recent research, with more representative samples and multivariate analysis, provides stronger evidence linking Judeo-Christian religious practices to blood pressure and immune function. The strongest evidence comes from randomized interventional trials reporting the beneficial physiological impact of meditation (primarily transcendental meditation). Overall, available evidence is generally consistent with the hypothesis that religiosity/spirituality is linked to health related physiological processes--including cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and immune function--although more solid evidence is needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The dimensionality of self-esteem: II. Hierarchical facet model for revised measurement scales.

A hierarchical facet model of self-esteem proposed by R. J. Shavelson et al (see record 1978-30429-001) was partially tested in a previous study by J. S. Fleming and W. A. Watts (see record 1981-28061-001). Their 3 factors, which were labeled Self-Regard, Social Confidence, and School Abilities, corresponded to 3 of the 4 dimensions posited by Shavelson et al. Predictions of other individual-difference variables from these factors were also tested by correlational analysis. Improvements to the instrument led to a replication of their 3 factors plus 2 predicted physical factors: Physical Appearance and Physical Abilities. In the present study, with 259 undergraduates, a 2nd-order factor analysis yielded a single, superordinate factor of global self-esteem, supporting the hierarchical interpretation of the facet model. Construct validity was further examined by replication of the correlational findings of Fleming and Watts and by correlations with other measures of personality and adjustment, including a global measure of self-esteem: the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The facet model as presently operationalized measures dimensions of relevance for the intended population, but these dimensions are not so broadly defined as to be redundant with related constructs. (65 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development, refinement, and psychometric properties of the Attitudes Toward God Scale (ATGS-9).

Perceived relationships with God can be a source of comfort or struggle. To advance the study of spiritual comfort and struggle, we develop the nine-item Attitudes toward God Scale (ATGS-9), and we describe six studies (2,992 total participants) reporting its development and psychometrics. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified two factors: (1) Positive Attitudes toward God and (2) Disappointment and Anger with God. Subscale scores showed good estimated internal consistency, 2-week temporal stability, and evidence for construct and discriminant validity. Positive Attitudes toward God correlated with measures of religiosity and conscientiousness. Disappointment and Anger with God correlated with negative religious coping, lower religious participation, more distress, higher neuroticism, and entitlement. These results support the ATGS-9 as a brief measure of attitudes toward God. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)