Adolescent Religiosity and Psychological Functioning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of Nonnormative developmental events, in this case the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020, on adolescent religiosity and psychological functioning.

Adolescents (N = 1,034; 14-19 years old; M age =16; 50% male, 50% female) from across the United States completed online surveys in January 2021, retrospectively reporting on three periods of 2020 (Pre-COVID 2020, Spring/Summer 2020, and Fall 2020).

First, across 2020, many adolescents shifted from in-person worship services to other formats, particularly virtual. Second, while most adolescents perceived they remained stable across 2020 in their religiosity and psychological functioning, some thought they increased while others thought they decreased. Third, paired samples t-tests of retrospectively reported religiosity and psychological functioning during the three periods of 2020 found evidence for possible declines across 2020 in worship service attendance, religious youth activities for adolescents, potential increases in the importance of religion, religious belief, and possible decreases in psychological well-being and increases in psychological distress. Fourth, retrospective reports of religiosity and psychological functioning during Pre-COVID 2020 were correlated-positively for psychological well-being and negatively for psychological distress. Fifth, based on difference scores, possible changes in religiosity were correlated with potential changes in psychological functioning-positively for psychological well-being and negatively for psychological distress. Sixth, auto-regressive cross-lagged models found evidence for possible bidirectional links between religiosity and psychological functioning across 2020; particularly, retrospective reports of religiosity predicted perceived increases in psychological well-being.

The COVID-19 pandemic, as a Nonnormative life event, may have influenced adolescent religiosity and psychological functioning across the year 2020.