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Re-examining Religiosity as a Protective Factor: Comparing Alcohol Use by Self-Identified Religious, Spiritual, and Secular College Students

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Abstract

Religiosity has been found to be associated with lower alcohol use by college students. The majority of studies on this topic, however, fail to differentiate religiosity and spirituality. This is potentially problematic due to the changing face of religion in America today. A study was conducted to explore similarities and differences between self-identified religious and spiritual college students. A modified version of the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey was administered online with a sample of 2,312 students. As hypothesized, self-identified religious and spiritual students differed significantly on key variables related to religious practices, alcohol consumption, and postmodern social values.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by a grant from the Health Equity Initiative, San Francisco State University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Education Department, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA

    Adam Burke, Juliana Van Olphen & Mickey Eliason

  2. Psychology Department, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Ryan Howell & Autumn Gonzalez

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  1. Adam Burke
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  2. Juliana Van Olphen
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Correspondence to Adam Burke.

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Burke, A., Van Olphen, J., Eliason, M. et al. Re-examining Religiosity as a Protective Factor: Comparing Alcohol Use by Self-Identified Religious, Spiritual, and Secular College Students. J Relig Health 53, 305–316 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9623-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9623-8

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