IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socpsy/v67y2021i3p260-268.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Religiosity as a predictor of mental health in Egyptian teenagers in preparatory and secondary school

Author

Listed:
  • Ahmed M Abdel-Khalek
  • Adel Shokry Korayem
  • David Lester

Abstract

Background: There have been few studies of religiosity in adolescents and even fewer in Muslim cultures. Aims: The present study investigated the associations of religiosity with subjective well-being (WB, and mental and physical health) using samples of Egyptian children and adolescents. Method: Samples of Egyptian preparatory school children and secondary school children were administered questions concerning religiosity, mental and physical health and satisfaction with life. Results: In study 1, boys obtained significantly higher mean scores than girls did on the self-rating scales of religiosity, mental health, physical health and satisfaction with life. In study 2, boys obtained significantly higher mean scores on the Arabic Scale of Mental Health and the self-rating scales of physical health and happiness. All the Pearson correlation coefficients between religiosity, WB and health were significant and positive in both studies. Predictors of mental health differed for boys and girls, but religiosity played a significant role in the prediction of mental health for the younger boys and for the older girls. Conclusion: Religion plays an important role in the lives of the present two samples of Egyptian adolescents

Suggested Citation

  • Ahmed M Abdel-Khalek & Adel Shokry Korayem & David Lester, 2021. "Religiosity as a predictor of mental health in Egyptian teenagers in preparatory and secondary school," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 67(3), pages 260-268, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:67:y:2021:i:3:p:260-268
    DOI: 10.1177/0020764020945345
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0020764020945345
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0020764020945345?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Keith Zullig & Rose Ward & Thelma Horn, 2006. "The Association Between Perceived Spirituality, Religiosity, and Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Self-Rated Health," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 79(2), pages 255-274, November.
    2. Maselko, Joanna & Kubzansky, Laura D., 2006. "Gender differences in religious practices, spiritual experiences and health: Results from the US General Social Survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(11), pages 2848-2860, June.
    3. Marne Arthaud-day & Joseph Rode & Christine Mooney & Janet Near, 2005. "The Subjective Well-being Construct: A Test of its Convergent, Discriminant, and Factorial Validity," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 74(3), pages 445-476, December.
    4. Hayo, Bernd, 2007. "Happiness in transition: An empirical study on Eastern Europe," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 204-221, June.
    5. Andrew E. Clark & Orsolya Lelkes, 2009. "Let us pray: religious interactions in life satisfaction," Working Papers halshs-00566120, HAL.
    6. Rick Sawatzky & Pamela Ratner & Lyren Chiu, 2005. "A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Spirituality and Quality of Life," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 72(2), pages 153-188, June.
    7. Adam B. Cohen & Kathryn A. Johnson, 2017. "The Relation between Religion and Well-Being," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 12(3), pages 533-547, September.
    8. Ayse Y. Evrensel, 2018. "Contradictory effects of religiosity on subjective well-being," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 1525115-152, January.
    9. Kenneth Greene & Bong Joon Yoon, 2004. "Religiosity, Economics and Life Satisfaction," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(2), pages 245-261.
    10. Lim, Chaeyoon & Putnam, Robert David, 2010. "Religion, Social Networks, and Life Satisfaction," Scholarly Articles 11105537, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    11. Liesbeth Snoep, 2008. "Religiousness and happiness in three nations: a research note," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 207-211, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Opfinger, Matthias & Gundlach, Erich, 2011. "Religiosity as a determinant of happiness," Open Access Publications from Kiel Institute for the World Economy 48360, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    2. Erich Gundlach & Matthias Opfinger, 2013. "Special Issue. Guest Editor: Zhihao Yu," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 17(3), pages 523-539, August.
    3. Mariano Rojas & Karen Watkins-Fassler, 2022. "Religious Practice and Life Satisfaction: A Domains-of-Life Approach," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 2349-2369, June.
    4. Salahodjaev, Raufhon, 2014. "Can religion buy happiness? The case of Singapore," MPRA Paper 56777, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Leonardo Becchetti & Alessandra Pelloni, 2013. "What are we learning from the life satisfaction literature?," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 60(2), pages 113-155, June.
    6. Maryam Dilmaghani, 2018. "Religiosity and Subjective Wellbeing in Canada," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 629-647, March.
    7. Zoua M. Vang & Feng Hou & Katharine Elder, 2019. "Perceived Religious Discrimination, Religiosity, and Life Satisfaction," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(6), pages 1913-1932, August.
    8. Van Praag, Bernard M.S. & Romanov, Dmitri & Ferrer-i-Carbonell, Ada, 2010. "Happiness and financial satisfaction in Israel: Effects of religiosity, ethnicity, and war," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 1008-1020, December.
    9. Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek & David Lester, 2012. "Constructions of religiosity, subjective well-being, anxiety, and depression in two cultures: Kuwait and USA," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 58(2), pages 138-145, March.
    10. Gerd Grözinger & Wenzel Matiaske, 2014. "The Direct and Indirect Impact of Religion on Well-Being in Germany," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 116(2), pages 373-387, April.
    11. Migheli, Matteo, 2009. "Religiosity and happiness: an ever-winning couple? An answer from India," POLIS Working Papers 126, Institute of Public Policy and Public Choice - POLIS.
    12. Rafael Domínguez & Borja López-Noval, 2021. "Religiosity and Life Satisfaction Across Countries: New Insights from the Self-Determination Theory," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1165-1188, March.
    13. Michael Minkov & Christian Welzel & Michael Schachner, 2020. "Cultural Evolution Shifts the Source of Happiness from Religion to Subjective Freedom," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(8), pages 2873-2888, December.
    14. Popova, Olga, 2014. "Can religion insure against aggregate shocks to happiness? The case of transition countries," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 804-818.
    15. Christopher Ellison & Daisy Fan, 2008. "Daily Spiritual Experiences and Psychological Well-being Among US Adults," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 88(2), pages 247-271, September.
    16. Katharina Pöhls & Thomas Schlösser & Detlef Fetchenhauer, 2020. "Non-Religious Identities and Life Satisfaction: Questioning the Universality of a Linear Link between Religiosity and Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(7), pages 2327-2353, October.
    17. Cem Başlevent & Hasan Kirmanoğlu, 2017. "Gender Inequality in Europe and the Life Satisfaction of Working and Non-working Women," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 107-124, February.
    18. Jun Lu & Qin Gao, 2017. "Faith and Happiness in China: Roles of Religious Identity, Beliefs, and Practice," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 273-290, May.
    19. Tehila Refaeli & Shlomit Weiss-Dagan & Drorit Levy & Haya Itzhaky, 2022. "“We Are Young, We Run Free”: Predicting Factors of Life Satisfaction among Young Backpackers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-15, January.
    20. Michael Kortt & Brian Dollery & Bligh Grant, 2015. "Religion and Life Satisfaction Down Under," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 277-293, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:67:y:2021:i:3:p:260-268. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.