The relationships of psychological mindedness and religious coping to psychological distress and adjustment in high-school adolescents

Adela S Roxas, Fordham University

Abstract

The relationships of psychological mindedness and religious coping to psychological distress and adjustment were examined in 587 adolescents in 9th through 12th grades. Participants completed questionnaires that measured psychological mindedness, positive and negative religious coping, perceived stress, psychological distress, positive and negative affect, and satisfaction with life. Results were largely consistent with predictions tying psychological mindedness and positive religious coping to better adjustment and negative religious coping to worse adjustment. Psychological mindedness was positively associated with positive affect and satisfaction with life. Psychological mindedness was negatively associated with negative affect and psychological distress. Positive religious coping was positively associated with positive affect and satisfaction with life. However, contrary to prediction, positive religious coping was not negatively related to either negative affect or psychological distress. Negative religious coping was negatively associated with positive affect and satisfaction with life. Negative religious coping was positively related to negative affect and psychological distress. Multivariate results of the effects of psychological mindedness and religious coping on psychological distres and adustment indicated that psychological mindedness, positive religious coping, and negative religious coping each significantly explained the combined variables of psychological distress, positive affect, negative affect, and satisfaction with life. Post-hoc analyses for univariate effects differed according to the criterion variable examined. Practically, the pattern of findings for unique explanatory effects suggests that those in helping relationships with adolescents might consider that psychological mindedness and positive and negative religious coping could all potentially contribute to adjustment in varying ways depending on the outcomes being considered. Contrary to prediction, no significant moderating effects of the relationship between stress and adjustment were found across all predictor and criterion variables. The lack of moderating effects may suggest more consistently beneficial effects of psychological mindedness and religious coping on the relationship between stress and outcomes than moderating effects.

Subject Area

Clinical psychology

Recommended Citation

Roxas, Adela S, "The relationships of psychological mindedness and religious coping to psychological distress and adjustment in high-school adolescents" (2011). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3495879.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3495879

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