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Measurement of Religiosity/Spirituality in Adolescent Health Outcomes Research: Trends and Recommendations

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Abstract

The relationship between religious/spiritual (R/S) factors and adolescent health outcomes has been studied for decades; however, the R/S measurement tools used may not be developmentally relevant for adolescents. A systematic literature review was conducted to review and evaluate trends in measuring R/S in adolescent health outcomes research. In this review a total of 100 articles met criteria for inclusion. Relatively few (n = 15) included adolescent-specific R/S measures or items accounting for developmentally relevant issues such as parental religiosity or age-appropriate language. Future R/S and health research with adolescents would be strengthened by incorporating developmentally relevant R/S measurement tools, psychometrics, and multidimensional measures.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a National Institute for Child Health and Human Development Grant # K23 HD052639 (Cotton, PI). We thank Ian Kudel PhD, for his input on an earlier version of this work and Aparna Rakurthi and Yvonne H. Roberts for their assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, P.O. Box 670840, Cincinnati, OH, 45267-0840, USA

    Sian Cotton

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Meghan E. McGrady

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA

    Susan L. Rosenthal

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  1. Sian Cotton
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  2. Meghan E. McGrady
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  3. Susan L. Rosenthal
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Correspondence to Sian Cotton.

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Cotton, S., McGrady, M.E. & Rosenthal, S.L. Measurement of Religiosity/Spirituality in Adolescent Health Outcomes Research: Trends and Recommendations. J Relig Health 49, 414–444 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-010-9324-0

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