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. 2015 Dec;54(6):2344-54.
doi: 10.1007/s10943-015-0008-7.

Challenges to the Conceptualization and Measurement of Religiosity and Spirituality in Mental Health Research

Rachel Baumsteiger  1 , Tiffany Chenneville  2
Affiliations

Challenges to the Conceptualization and Measurement of Religiosity and Spirituality in Mental Health Research

Rachel Baumsteiger et al. J Relig Health. 2015 Dec.

Abstract

Investigating religiosity and spirituality may help to further elucidate how individuals' worldviews influence their attitudes, behavior, and overall well-being. However, inconsistencies in how these constructs are conceptualized and measured may undercut the potential value of religiosity and spirituality research. Results from a survey of undergraduate students suggest that laypeople define spirituality as independent from social influence and that few people associate religiosity with negative terms. A content analysis of spirituality measures indicates that spirituality measures contain items that do not directly measure the strength of spirituality. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Keywords: Measurement; Mental health; Religiosity; Research; Spirituality.

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