Abstract
Religious socialization aims to instill moral and normative behaviors in youth, fostering lifelong adherence. However, maladaptive behaviors may disrupt religiousness across the lifespan, impacting its socializing influence. While prior research links religiousness to lower adolescent substance use, the disruption hypothesis—that substance use attenuates religiousness—remains untested. This study utilizes longitudinal data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR, waves 1-4) to examine this hypothesis. Initial analyses utilized an algorithm to control for pre-existing differences in substance use propensity. Latent class growth modeling (LCGM) was subsequently employed to delineate trajectories of religiousness from adolescence to young adulthood and to examine their association with early substance use. Findings provide partial support for the disruption hypothesis, primarily during young adulthood. This suggests that substance use may influence religiousness, though the precise mechanism—whether through disrupted socialization or diminished behavioral adherence—remains unclear.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Religious Community and Socialization
KEYWORDS
Religious socialization, Religiousness, Substance use, Adolescence, Young adulthood
