Self-Esteem and Religiosity: Comparison of 13- to 15-Year-Old Students in Catholic and Public Junior High Schools

Abstract

university of southampton Kanka Mallick manchester metropolitan university An important goal of schooling is to support students' personal well-being, including to enhance their self-esteem (Bagley, 1989b; Bagley, Verma, Mallick, & Young, 1979). Self-esteem and self-concept (used as interchangeable constructs) are linked to scholastic achievement (Byrne, 1990), and, according to Kaplan (1980), inversely to school drop-out, delinquency, premature sexual activity, unwanted pregnancy, and substance abuse. In theory at least, the ethos of Catholic schools (which in many parts of Canada take more than a quarter of all students) should lead to greater integration with supportive social systems

Religiousness and Depressive Symptoms in Five Ethnic Adolescent Groups

“…Other studies have yielded mixed support for the link between religious involvement and self-esteem. Bagley and Mallick (1997) observed a positive association between attendance at religious service and self-esteem in Canadian adolescents, regardless of whether they attended a Catholic school or a public school. In contrast, three other studies failed to find any relation between religious participation and self-esteem (Bahr & Martin, 1983;Hunsberger et al, 2001;Markstrom, 1999).…”

Adolescents' attachment and coping with stress

“…Rather than sudden and severe trauma, family breakups, or culturally related stresses associated with poverty, the most frequent and prominent stresses faced by adolescents are considered "generic stresses" (Compas, Oroson, & Grant, 1993). These types of stresses result from everyday interactions associated with the adolescent developmental period and include peer and family conflicts, academic problems and school transitions, initiating and maintaining friendships, self-image and puberty concerns, and financial and workrelated issues (Bagley & Mallick, 1997;Groer, Thomas, & Shoffner, 1992;Hartos & Power, 1997). The association between chronic generic stress and maladjustment including alcohol abuse and suicide is greater than the association between infrequent stressors and maladjustment (Brent, Perper, Moritz, Baugher, Roth, Balach, & Schweers, 1993;McCubbin, Needle, & Wilson, 1985;Printz, Shermis, & Webb, 1999).…”

Religious Behavior, Personality, and Dimensions of Self-Esteem Among 13- to 15-year-old Adolescents

“…Hovemyr (1 998) reported for a Swedish sample with an academic background ranging in ages from 18 to 54 years, that those who scored highly on SE included those who attributed success to God's help or answer to prayer. Bagley and Mallick (1997) found among junior high school students (aged from 13 to 15 years) in Canada attending both public and religious schools, that SE was moderately but significantly associated with religious participation irrespective of the faith or denomination to which students were affiliated. Jensen, Jensen, and Wiederhold (1993) found among a large sample of Catholic, Mormon, and Protestant students in the United States, that SE was positively associated with religiosity.…”