TITLE:
Changing Trends in Ritual Attendance and Spirituality throughout the College Years
AUTHORS:
Chelsi A. Creech, Paul J. Handal, Sean A. Worley, Travis J. Pashak, Eunice J. Perez, Lea Caver
KEYWORDS:
Religion; Spirituality; College Students
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.4 No.12,
December
25,
2013
ABSTRACT: According to previous literature, levels of
religiousness decrease among emerging adults, but similar research has not been
done regarding levels of spirituality. The current study examined the responses
of college students to measures of religiousness and spirituality. The
participants in the study were from a private, religiously affiliated
university in the Midwest, between ages 18 and 24. Participants completed the
Personal Religious Inventory (PRI), the Duke Religion Index (DUREL), the
Spiritual Transcendence Scale (STS), the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale
(DSES) and the Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale (SIBS). Significant
differences were found between first-year and upper-class participants on religious
attendance, non-religious attendance, and the Daily Spiritual Experiences
Scale. Based on these results, it is suggested that multi-dimensional measures
provide a more accurate view of religiousness than one-dimensional measures.