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Cited by 437Religion, Spirituality, and PsychologySubstance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesAdolescent Health and Behaviors

Public and private domains of religiosity and adolescent health risk behaviors: evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health

Nonnemaker, James M, McNeely, Clea A, Blum, Robert Wm·2003·Social Science & Medicine
DOI 10.1016/s0277-9536(03)00096-0
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the association of public and private domains of religiosity and adolescent health-related outcomes using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a nationally representative sample of American adolescents in grades 7-12. The public religiosity variable combines two items measuring frequency of attendance at religious services and frequency of participation in religious youth group activities. The private religiosity variable combines two items measuring frequency of prayer and importance of religion. Our results support previous evidence that religiosity is protective for a number of adolescent health-related outcomes. In general, both public and private religiosity was protective against cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana use. On closer examination it appeared that private religiosity was more protective against experimental substance use, while public religiosity had a larger association with regular use, and in particular with regular cigarette use. Both public and private religiosity was associated with a lower probability of having ever had sexual intercourse. Only public religiosity had a significant effect on effective birth control at first sexual intercourse and, for females, for having ever been pregnant. However, neither dimension of religiosity was associated with birth control use at first or most recent sex. Public religiosity was associated with lower emotional distress while private religiosity was not. Only private religiosity was significantly associated with a lower probability of having had suicidal thoughts or having attempted suicide. Both public and private religiosity was associated with a lower probability of having engaged in violence in the last year. Our results suggest that further work is warranted to explore the causal mechanisms by which religiosity is protective for adolescents. Needed is both theoretical work that identifies mechanisms that could explain the different patterns of empirical results and surveys that collect data specific to the hypothesized mechanisms.

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  • Of the 49 highest-rigor studies on R/S and suicide, 39 (80%) reported less suicide, fewer attempts, or more negative attitudes toward suicide among more R/S, and two (4%) found positive relationships.

    “With regard to the 49 studies with the highest methodological rigor, 39 (80%) reported less suicide, fewer suicide attempts, or more negative attitudes toward suicide among the more R/S [155–170] and two (4%) found positive relationships (one study in Delhi, India [171], and one in college students distressed over R/S concerns [172]).”

    From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [163]

  • Religious scriptures in other faith traditions also emphasize the person's responsibility to care for and nourish their physical body.

    “Religious scriptures in other faith traditions also emphasize the person's responsibility to care for and nourish their physical body [282–284].”

    From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [282]

  • Faith-based weight-reduction programs in religious communities have been shown to be effective.

    “Faith-based weight-reduction programs in religious communities have been shown to be effective [328, 330, 331].”

    From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [331]

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Authors
Nonnemaker, J. M., McNeely, C. A., & Blum, R. W.
Affiliations
  • RTI International (US)
  • University of Minnesota (US)
Corresponding author
Nonnemaker, James M
ORCID
Venue
Social Science & Medicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2003-12
Volume
57
Issue
11
Pages
2049-2054
ISSN
0277-9536 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0277-9536(03)00096-0
OpenAlex
W2071880373
Cited by
437
References
24
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 51 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 33
FWCI
15.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Social Science & Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Health and Behaviors
Keywords
religiosity, public religiosity, private religiosity, adolescent health, substance use, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, cannabis use, sexual behavior, contraception, pregnancy, emotional distress, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, violence, religious service attendance, prayer
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Alcoholic Beverages, Marijuana Abuse, Child, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Religion, Risk-Taking, Sexual Behavior, Smoking, Suicide, United States, Violence, Health Behavior, Logistic Models

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