Trajectories in religious development among African American young adults

Thumbnail Image
Date
2017-01-01
Authors
Pang, Yuk
Major Professor
Advisor
Daniel W. Russell
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Altmetrics
Authors
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Organizational Unit
Human Development and Family Studies

The Department of Human Development and Family Studies focuses on the interactions among individuals, families, and their resources and environments throughout their lifespans. It consists of three majors: Child, Adult, and Family Services (preparing students to work for agencies serving children, youth, adults, and families); Family Finance, Housing, and Policy (preparing students for work as financial counselors, insurance agents, loan-officers, lobbyists, policy experts, etc); and Early Childhood Education (preparing students to teach and work with young children and their families).

History


The Department of Human Development and Family Studies was formed in 1991 from the merger of the Department of Family Environment and the Department of Child Development.

Dates of Existence
1991-present

Related Units

  • College of Human Sciences (parent college)
  • Department of Child Development (predecessor)
  • Department of Family Environment (predecessor)

Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
Department
Human Development and Family Studies
Abstract

Religiosity and spirituality have been an important component within the African American culture throughout U.S. history. Previous research has documented the importance of religion to African Americans, particularly in terms of coping with the negative experiences they face in the U.S. While many studies have focused on the positive impact of religiosity and spirituality on African American’s mental health, fewer studies have addressed change in African American’s religiosity over time, especially during the period when they transition from adolescence into young adulthood. Adolescence is a crucial developmental transition and can disclose a tremendous amount of knowledge about religious socialization and change in the life course. Utilizing data from the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS), a longitudinal study that examines African American families, this study extends the current state of the literature by examining and identifying multiple trajectories in African American adolescents’ religious development. Overall, there was a significant decline in religiosity during both adolescence and young adulthood. There was also individual variability in the change in religiosity during both developmental periods. Parental religiosity and deviant peer affiliation continued to have a significant impact on African American religiosity during both adolescence and young adulthood. Other sociocultural factors that predicted long-term growth, decline, or stability in their religiosity were also examined. Finally, implications of these findings as well as future directions for research on these relationships are discussed.

Comments
Description
Keywords
Citation
Source
Copyright
Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2017