Measuring Children's Church‐Based Social Support: Development and Initial Validation of the Kids’ Church Survey

Abstract

Given the importance of considering context in development, the goal of the present study was to develop and provide initial validity evidence for the Kids’ Church Survey (KCS), a new measure of children's church‐based social support. Data were collected from 1253 children ages 6–14 attending mainline Protestant, evangelical Protestant, and Catholic churches. Parallel and exploratory factor analyses supported a three‐factor solution: received (emotional) church support, perceived church support from peers, and perceived church support from adults. Confirmatory models conducted with independent samples provided an excellent fit for the data. All three scales evidenced acceptable internal (.78–.92) and test–retest (.88–.95) reliability. Measurement invariance was demonstrated across genders and age groups, with the exception of the perceived peer support scale, which was not invariant across ages. The KCS was sensitive to between‐church differences in children's programs and incrementally predicted self‐esteem, prosocial behavior, and spirituality. Applications for researchers, mental health practitioners, and clergy are discussed.

Exploring Autonomy and Relatedness in Church as Predictors of Children’s Religiosity and Relationship with God

“…Finally, consistent with research on the value of relationships in church for children's religiosity and spirituality (Crosby, Smith, & Frederick, 2015;Crosby & Smith, 2016) this present study showed that perceived relatedness in church was a significant predictor of children's relationship with God. The finding that perceived relatedness in church predicts relationship with God aligns with literature that reveals the value of relationships for helping individuals make meaning from religious experiences (Crosby, Smith, & Frederick, 2015;Krause & Ellison, 2009).…”

“…This view of an attentive and close God could be representative of "an internalization of the religious teachings of their parents and church leaders" (Crosby & Smith, 2015, p. 251). Furthermore, Crosby and Smith (2016) confirmed that children's received support from adults and connectedness with adults at church positively correlated with a view of God as supportive and caring.…”

“…Participants chose from a four-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (Never) to 4 (Always). Internal reliability was calculated with McDonald’s ω for perceived peer support (.79) and perceived adult support (.86) (Crosby & Smith, 2016). The eight items of the perceived relatedness scale showed high reliability in the present study ( α = .81).…”

“…Relatedness. Relatedness was measured using the perceived support from adults (four items) and perceived support form peers (four items) subscales of the Kid's Church Survey (Crosby & Smith, 2016). Four items assessed perceived support from adults (e.g., "Adults at church care about me") and four items assessed perceived support from peers (e.g., "The kids at church are friendly to me").…”

“…Ryan and Deci (2000) define relatedness as “the need to feel belongingness and connectedness with others” (p. 73). Relatedness as a basic psychological need is measured in this current study by the degree to which children feel “loved, valued, and supported by (non-family member) peers and adults in his or her church community” (Crosby & Smith, 2016).…”