The purposes of this study were to estimate: (a) the extent of biblical literacy among convenience samples of adults from randomly selected religious and non-religious groups, (b) the extent to which American adults are religious, and (c) the association between religiosity and biblical literacy.

This study examined the relationship between spirituality/religiousness and quality of life and the moderating effect of comorbid illness in a sample of 308 long-term cancer survivors who had received an initial primary cancer diagnosis of breast, prostate, colorectal, and Hodgkin's disease at least 5 prior to the beginning of the study. In addition to the self-report measures assessing the variable of interest, participants completed a set of socio-demographic items and several questions related to their cancer treatment at entry into the study (T1) and at a second assessment 12 months later (T2). Results showed that each spirituality/religiousness and comorbidity was significantly related to various aspects of quality of life at both time points of assessment. More specifically, spirituality/religiousness was significantly associated with greater cancer benefits, enhanced general quality of life, lower sexual dysfunction, but unexpectedly, greater family-related distress at T1. Similarly, comorbidity significantly related to more financial problems, worries about appearance, and pain at both time points. Greater comorbidity was also significantly associated with more sexual dysfunction and lower general quality of life at T1. Findings also provided supported for the moderating role of comorbidity on various domains of quality of life both concurrently (i.e., family-related distress and appearance concerns) and prospectively (i.e., family-related distress and pain). In some cases, the direction of the interaction effect was in the predicted direction such that greater spirituality/religiousness related to lower family-related distress (prospectively) and more appearance concerns (concurrently at T2) among survivors with a new comorbidity, for example. In other cases, the direction of the interaction was contrary to expectations, such that higher spirituality/religiousness was associated with greater family-related distress (concurrently at T1) and more pain (prospectively) among the group of survivors with greater comorbidity. Possible explanations for the apparently inconsistent findings are offered as well as recommendations for future research.

The present study investigated the relationship between religiousness, conservatism and traffic behaviour. It was shown that, intrinsic religious orientation significantly predicted ordinary violations of both the drivers and the pedestrians. Religiousness seems to have a positive effect by orienting the individual to obey the rules and to refrain from risk taking behaviour. Moreover, components of conservatism (conservation of values and resistance to change) were found to affect the aggressive violations and the positive behaviours of the drivers. While conservation of values decreased aggressive violations of the drivers, it increased the positive behaviours. On the contrary, resistance to change decreased positive behaviours and increased aggressive violations. These contrary results were accounted for by using Wilson&rsquo / s (1973) explanations of these dimensions. To conclude, variables distal to traffic context were shown to influence traffic behaviour differentially.

Thesis (M.A.)--East Carolina University, 2009. / Presented to the faculty of the Department of Psychology. Advisor: Kathleen Row. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed May 21, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

Alcohol use, because of its many negative consequences, is the number one health problem facing college students. Because of this, researchers have looked for factors associated with reduced drinking. Religiousness is one such factor. Religiousness is a complex, multidimensional construct, and while it tends to be negatively associated with alcohol use, research progress has been slow due to the tendency of researchers to poorly operationalize this construct and to design studies that fail to go beyond the bivariate relationship of religiousness and alcohol use. In order to address these shortcomings, this study will assess two dimensions of religiousness, religious commitment/motivation and religious consequences, and will test a model, presented by Koenig et al., (2001), that postulates religiousness works through mental health in order to reduce alcohol use. More specifically, this study will test optimism as a possible mediator and moderator of the relationship between religiousness and alcohol use. This study used archival data from 260 (202 female and 58 male) Caucasian, Christian, undergraduate college students who completed a battery of surveys that included measures of religiousness, optimism, and alcohol use. A factor analysis was conducted on one measure of religiousness, the short form of the Faith Maturity Scale. Also, optimism was tested as both a mediator and a moderator for both dimensions of religiousness in predicting alcohol use. Findings indicated optimism is not a significant mediator of the religiousness-alcohol use relationship because optimism did not meet the preconditions for a mediator as it was not associated with alcohol use in this sample. Also, optimism was not a significant moderator of religious commitment/motivation, but it did moderate the relationship of religious consequences and alcohol use. Finally, the two dimensions of religiousness interacted in predicting alcohol use. While both dimensions of religiousness were negatively associated with alcohol use throughout the findings, gender was a significant moderator in all significant interactions. Several implications follow from this study. First, greater specificity is needed regarding Koenig et al.s (2001) model specifically in regards to which third variables are associated with which health outcomes and to whom the model applies. Second, this study highlights the importance of a multidimensional assessment of religiousness. Finally, this study indicates specificity is needed regarding what religious interventions will be helpful for which genders.

Past research has shown that both creativity and religious orientation are related to psychological wellbeing. There has also been some support for the idea that a relationship exists between creativity and religiosity. The present study sought to determine whether the interaction between creativity and religious orientation would be a significant predictor of psychological wellbeing. Psychological wellbeing, in the current study, was defined as the linear composite of life satisfaction, meaning in life, and purpose in life. The independent variables were measured using the Religious Orientation Scale, the Religious Orientation Scale Revised, and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. Dependent variables were assessed via the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Scales of Psychological Wellbeing Short Forms, and the Life Attitude Profile Revised. Questionnaires were administered to 291 college students at a mid-western university. Individuals were identified as being either high or low in creativity and as either intrinsic or extrinsic with respect to their religious orientation. A final participant sample participant sample of 120 participants was retained for analysis and a two by two factorial MANOVA was performed to determine if creativity and religious orientation would interact. While the results of the study suggested that creativity and religious orientation were both significant predictors of psychological wellbeing, the interaction of these variables was not found to be a significant predictor of psychological wellbeing. The independent factor of creativity was found to be a significant predictor beyond the .05 level for psychological wellbeing, satisfaction with life, purpose in life, and meaning in life. Similarly, religious orientation as an independent factor was found to be a significant predictor beyond the .05 level for psychological wellbeing, purpose in life, and having meaning in life. While this data is consistent with the current literature, religious orientation was not a significant predictor of life satisfaction. It was postulated that the lack of interaction may have been attributed to low variability in test scores, developmental characteristics of the sample, and/or the more precise psychometric properties of the instruments used in the current study. Recommendations for future research were suggested. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Notre Dame, 2007. / Thesis directed by Christian Smith for the Department of Sociology. "December 2007." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 34-36).

Thesis (M.A.)--Baylor University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-81).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Dept. of History and Dept. of Psychology. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2007. / "A dissertation in religious studies and health psychology." Advisors: Gary Ebersole and Lisa Terre. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed July 30, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 274-287). Online version of the print edition.

Thesis (PH. D.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Psychology, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Sept. 8, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-103). Also issued in print.