Dynamic associations between religiousness and self-regulation across adolescence into young adulthood.

Abstract

Prior research has demonstrated that religiousness is associated with and potentially facilitative of self-regulation, though most of the research has been cross-sectional. The present longitudinal study examined dynamic relations between religiousness development and self-regulation formation from early adolescence into young adulthood. The sample included 500 U.S. adolescents and their parents. The data were restructured by adolescent age and analyzed from ages 11-22. The analyses involved latent curve models with structured residuals (LCM-SR). First, univariate latent growth curve models were estimated for religiousness, as well as adolescent-reports and parent-reports of adolescent behavioral selfregulation, cognitive self-regulation, and emotional self-regulation. Religiousness decreased over time while self-regulation increased (except for adolescent-report behavioral self-regulation, which followed a u-shape). Bivariate latent growth curve models pairing religiousness with each self-regulation variable found significant positive correlations between change in religiousness and change in adolescent-report cognitive and emotional self-regulation and parent-report emotional self-regulation. After adding in cross-lagged paths, relations between these slopes went away, but positive bidirectional cross-lagged associations in both directions were found between religiousness and adolescent-report cognitive selfregulation and parent-report emotional self-regulation. These results provide evidence for dynamic relations between religiousness and self-regulation across adolescence and into young adulthood. Further, the findings point to possible specificity based on the self-regulation dimension and whether data are adolescent-report or parent-report.

A mixed-method intervention study on relational spirituality and humility among religious leaders.

“…We suggest that our findings, consistent with the RSM, offer initial support for associations between virtuousness (i.e., humility) and self-regulation (i.e., differentiation and God attachment) as bidirectional (Sandage et al, 2020). Furthermore, Hardy et al (2020) found a bidirectional association over time between R/S and self-regulation, suggesting that gains in R/S might facilitate gains in self-regulation, and conversely, that promoting self-regulation could enhance R/S. Furthermore, Rusk et al (2018) posited that gains in virtuousness and positive emotion reciprocally influence each other.…”

Religiosity and spirituality among Filipino mothers and fathers: Relations to psychological well-being and parenting.

“…For example, a longitudinal study with adolescents in Australia revealed that social and emotional well-being, measured in terms of hope, joviality, mindfulness, and psychological acceptance (i.e., willingness to act effectively despite unpleasant thoughts and feelings), was positively associated with intrinsic religious values (Heaven & Ciarrochi, 2007). Another longitudinal study with adolescents in the U.S. found positive bidirectional and cross-lagged relations between religiousness and self-regulation (Hardy et al, 2020), suggesting that self-regulatory abilities and religiousness may sustain each other over time.…”

Development of emotion regulation across the first two years of college

“…One study of first year college students from two months prior to coming on campus to shortly after arriving found increased use of suppression (Srivastava et al, 2009) whereas another found decreased use of suppression and increased use of reappraisal by the end of the first semester (Kneeland & Dovidio, 2020). Still another study following students from ages 11 to 22 found slight increases in a general measure of emotion regulation (Hardy, Baldwin, Herd, & Kim‐Spoon, 2020).…”