Religious Development from Adolescence to Early Adulthood Among Muslim and Christian Youth in Germany: A Person-oriented Approach

Overview

Journal Child Dev

Specialty Pediatrics

Date 2024 Aug 27

PMID 39189950

Authors

Olivia Spiegler

Jan O Jonsson

Chloe Bracegirdle

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Religious decline, often observed among North American Christian youth, may not apply universally. We examined this and whether religiosity is associated with well-being, risk behavior, cultural values, and acculturation among 4080 Muslim and Christian adolescents aged 15-22 in Germany. Utilizing seven waves from the CILS4EU project and a person-oriented analytical approach, we identified different religious trajectories for Muslim (58% high, 31% low, 11% increasing), immigrant-origin Christian (68% low, 32% medium), and non-immigrant Christian (74% low, 17% decreasing, 9% medium) youth. High and medium trajectories were associated with greater well-being, lower risk behavior, more conservative attitudes, and less sociocultural integration. To fully understand religious development, we must consider diverse national contexts and groups, employing long-term perspectives and person-centered analyses.

Citing Articles

Religious development from adolescence to early adulthood among Muslim and Christian youth in Germany: A person-oriented approach.

Spiegler O, Jonsson J, Bracegirdle C Child Dev. 2024; 96(1):141-160.

PMID: 39189950 PMC: 11693839. DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14151.

References

Sterba S, Bauer D . Matching method with theory in person-oriented developmental psychopathology research. Dev Psychopathol. 2010; 22(2):239-54. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579410000015. View

Oberoi A, Trickett E . Religion in the Hallways: Academic Performance and Psychological Distress among Immigrant origin Muslim Adolescents in High Schools. Am J Community Psychol. 2018; 61(3-4):344-357. DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12238. View

Curran P, Obeidat K, Losardo D . Twelve Frequently Asked Questions About Growth Curve Modeling. J Cogn Dev. 2011; 11(2):121-136. PMC: 3131138. DOI: 10.1080/15248371003699969. View

Hodapp B, Zwingmann C . Religiosity/Spirituality and Mental Health: A Meta-analysis of Studies from the German-Speaking Area. J Relig Health. 2019; 58(6):1970-1998. DOI: 10.1007/s10943-019-00759-0. View

Hardy S, Nelson J, Moore J, King P . Processes of Religious and Spiritual Influence in Adolescence: A Systematic Review of 30 Years of Research. J Res Adolesc. 2019; 29(2):254-275. DOI: 10.1111/jora.12486. View

Wright A, Yendork J, Kliewer W . Patterns of Spiritual Connectedness during Adolescence: Links to Coping and Adjustment in Low-Income Urban Youth. J Youth Adolesc. 2018; 47(12):2608-2624. PMC: 6246777. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-018-0886-6. View

Gungor D, Bornstein M, Phalet K . Religiosity, Values, and Acculturation: A Study of Turkish, Turkish Belgian, and Belgian Adolescents. Int J Behav Dev. 2012; 36(5):367-373. PMC: 3496254. DOI: 10.1177/0165025412448357. View

Fleischmann F . Researching religion and migration 20 years after '9/11': Taking stock and looking ahead. Z Relig Ges Polit. 2022; 6(2):347-372. PMC: 8889873. DOI: 10.1007/s41682-022-00103-6. View

Muthen B, Muthen L . Integrating person-centered and variable-centered analyses: growth mixture modeling with latent trajectory classes. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2000; 24(6):882-91. View

10.

Spiegler O, Wolfer R, Hewstone M . Dual Identity Development and Adjustment in Muslim Minority Adolescents. J Youth Adolesc. 2019; 48(10):1924-1937. PMC: 6813286. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-019-01117-9. View

11.

Nagin D, Tremblay R . Analyzing developmental trajectories of distinct but related behaviors: a group-based method. Psychol Methods. 2001; 6(1):18-34. DOI: 10.1037/1082-989x.6.1.18. View

12.

Schnitker S, Medenwaldt J, Williams E . Religiosity in adolescence. Curr Opin Psychol. 2020; 40:155-159. DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.09.012. View

13.

Hardy S, Nelson J . Introduction to Special Issue: Diverse Disciplinary Approaches to the Study of Adolescent Religious and Spiritual Development. Adolesc Res Rev. 2021; 6(3):247-251. PMC: 8188949. DOI: 10.1007/s40894-021-00165-2. View

14.

Umana-Taylor A, Quintana S, Lee R, Cross Jr W, Rivas-Drake D, Schwartz S . Ethnic and racial identity during adolescence and into young adulthood: an integrated conceptualization. Child Dev. 2014; 85(1):21-39. PMC: 6673642. DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12196. View

15.

Spiegler O, Jonsson J, Bracegirdle C . Religious development from adolescence to early adulthood among Muslim and Christian youth in Germany: A person-oriented approach. Child Dev. 2024; 96(1):141-160. PMC: 11693839. DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14151. View

16.

Dimitrova R, Aydinli-Karakulak A . Acculturation orientations mediate the link between religious identity and adjustment of Turkish-Bulgarian and Turkish-German adolescents. Springerplus. 2016; 5(1):1024. PMC: 4938830. DOI: 10.1186/s40064-016-2688-1. View

17.

Lopez A, Huynh V, Fuligni A . A longitudinal study of religious identity and participation during adolescence. Child Dev. 2011; 82(4):1297-309. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01609.x. View

18.

Chan M, Tsai K, Fuligni A . Changes in Religiosity Across the Transition to Young Adulthood. J Youth Adolesc. 2014; 44(8):1555-66. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-014-0157-0. View

19.

Koenig L, McGue M, Iacono W . Stability and change in religiousness during emerging adulthood. Dev Psychol. 2008; 44(2):532-43. DOI: 10.1037/0012-1649.44.2.532. View

20.

Stoppa T, Lefkowitz E . Longitudinal Changes in Religiosity among Emerging Adult College Students. J Res Adolesc. 2010; 20(1):23-38. PMC: 2830663. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2009.00630.x. View