Religiosity and Adolescent Problem Behavior

宗教信仰与青少年问题行为

基本信息

批准号：
7584023
负责人：
Kathryn Paige Harden
金额：
$ 2.67万
依托单位：
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2007
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2007-04-27 至 2009-04-26
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7584023
关键词：
Accounting Acting Out Adolescent Adolescent Development Alcohol consumption Alcohol or Other Drugs use Alcohols Behavior Behavioral Genetics Belief Biological Buffers Church Coitus Communication Data Empathy Environment Environmental Risk Factor Experimental Designs Fostering Genes Genetic Genotype Health Home environment Individual Intervention Longitudinal Studies Mediating Mental Health Methodology Modeling Parents Personal Satisfaction Prevention intervention Problem behavior Process Public Policy Purpose Religion and Spirituality Research Risk Risk Factors Services Sexual Partners Siblings Single Parent Societies Specific qualifier value Testing Twin Multiple Birth Violence cost design developmental psychology deviant experience family structure gene environment interaction high risk sexual behavior intergenerational protective effect psychologic psychological distress theories young adult

项目摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Better understanding of how environmental and biological risk factors influence adolescent problem behavior - a constellation of co-morbid precocious or deviant behaviors, including delinquency, substance use, and high risk sexual behavior - is critical for ameliorating individual mental health and relieving society of the enormous cost imposed by these behaviors. One potential environmental protective factor is religiosity, defined as affiliation with a religious tradition and involvement in organized religious activities, Epidemiological research indicates that religiosity is associated with reduced problem behavior, including less alcohol and substance use, less delinquent behavior, later initiation of sexual intercourse, and fewer sexual partners. Classical and modern sociological theories posit that religiosity decreases deviant behavior by instilling beliefs about divine sanctions, encouraging prosocial ties that foster empathy and concern for collective well-being, facilitating the intergenerational communication of conforming values, and buffering against psychological distress that otherwise may be acted out in problem behavior. Because adolescents are not involved in religious organizations at random, however, genetic and environmental third variables may influence both religiosity and problem behavior, thus confounding observed associations. For example, two-parent homes are more likely to be religious than single-parent homes, and the presence of both biological parents is associated with less delinquency. Thus, family structure confounds associations between religiosity and delinquency. Furthermore, the effects of religiosity on problem behavior may interact with adolescents' genetic liabilities. The proposed project uses behavior genetic methodology and data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to elucidate the processes underlying associations between religiosity and adolescent problem behavior. Specifically, the project will test whether twin and sibling pairs discordant for religiosity also differ in their levels of problem behavior, an association that controls for genetic and environmental influences shared by siblings. This "quasi-experimental" design provides a more rigorous test of whether religiosity is actually a protective factor against problem behavior. In addition, the project will combine distinct threads of inquiry into a comprehensive model of the effects of genes and religiosity on problem behavior that simultaneously considers genotype-environment correlation and interaction. The project is distinctive in its integration of sociological, psychological, and biological perspectives on adolescent problem behavior, and will inform prevention and intervention strategies designed to ameliorate this critical mental health issue.

描述（由申请人提供）：更好地理解环境和生物危险因素如何影响青少年问题行为 - 合并早熟或偏斜行为的星座，包括犯罪，毒品使用和高风险性行为 - 对于改善个人精神健康和使这些行为施加的巨大成本施加的巨大成本的社会至关重要。一个潜在的环境保护因素是宗教信仰，定义为与宗教传统的隶属关系，并参与有组织的宗教活动，流行病学研究表明，宗教信仰与减少的问题行为相关，包括较少的酒精和药物使用，较少的拖欠行为，后来的性交开始，性交的开始，以及更少的性伴侣。古典和现代的社会学理论认为，宗教信仰通过灌输对神圣制裁的信念来降低偏差的行为，鼓励亲社会关系促进同理心和对集体福祉的关注，从而促进构想价值的代际交流，并促进对心理困扰的缓冲，否则可能会在问题行为中采取任何行动。但是，由于青少年没有随机参与宗教组织，因此遗传和环境的第三变量可能会影响宗教和问题行为，从而使观察到的关联混淆。例如，两个父母的房屋比单亲家庭更有可能是宗教的，而两个亲生父母的存在与犯罪较少有关。因此，家庭结构混淆了宗教与犯罪之间的关联。此外，宗教对问题行为的影响可能与青少年的遗传负债相互作用。拟议的项目使用行为遗传学方法论和来自国家青少年健康纵向研究的数据来阐明宗教与青少年问题行为之间关联的过程。具体而言，该项目将测试双胞胎和兄弟姐妹对宗教信仰不一致的问题行为的水平也有所不同，这种关联控制着兄弟姐妹所共有的遗传和环境影响。这种“准实验”设计提供了更严格的测试，即宗教是否实际上是防止问题行为的保护因素。此外，该项目将把探究的不同线程结合在一起，以综合基因和宗教对问题行为的影响，同时考虑基因型 - 环境相关性和相互作用。该项目在对青少年问题行为的社会学，心理和生物学观点的整合中是与众不同的，并将为旨在改善这个批判性心理健康问题的预防和干预策略提供信息。