Personality and religious values among adolescents: a three-wave longitudinal analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Adolescent Development
• Personality Psychology

Background:

• Adolescence is a critical period for developing values and identity.
• Understanding the interplay between personality, values, and well-being is crucial for adolescent development.
• Previous research has explored personality-religious value links, but longitudinal studies examining personality change are less common.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationships between major personality dimensions and religious values in adolescents.
• To examine how changes in specific personality traits (psychoticism, conscientiousness) over time predict religious values.
• To explore gender differences in these relationships and the association with adolescent well-being.

Main Methods:

• Utilized three waves of longitudinal data from 784 high school students.
• Assessed major personality dimensions and religious values.
• Analyzed the impact of personality changes (Time 1 to Time 2) on religious values (Time 3), considering gender.

Main Results:

• Both personality traits and personality changes predicted religious values.
• Specific effects of personality and its change on religious values were found to be gender-dependent.
• Adolescents higher in hope, joviality, psychological acceptance, and mindfulness reported higher religious values.

Conclusions:

• Personality traits and their evolution significantly shape adolescent religious values.
• Gender moderates the influence of personality on religious values, impacting well-being.
• Fostering positive personality attributes like mindfulness may support adolescent religious values and resilience.