Religiosity and Spirituality Development: An Accelerated Longitudinal Design

Abstract

Background and objectives: The central aim of the present study was to model developmental trends in communal and independent religious practices, spirituality, positive and negative religious/spiritual coping, as well as their confluence, across ages 45-80.

Research design and methods: Participants derived from the Notre Dame Study of Health & Well-being (NDHWB), a longitudinal study spanning 10 years in an age-heterogeneous sample. Using 2-level multilevel models, we estimated no change, linear change, quadratic change, and cubic change functions across ages 45-80 in each construct. Cohort differences were also tested.

Results: Communal and independent practices, spirituality, negative religious/spiritual coping, as well as composite religiosity/spirituality, followed cubic trajectories across mid- to later life. Communal religious practices peaked twice: once at 45 and again around age 70. Independent practices, in contrast, peaked at age 45 and then declined in a stage-like manner until age 80. Spirituality reached its nadir around age 50 and peaked in the early 70s; the reverse was true for negative religious/spiritual coping. The change trajectory in composite religiosity/spirituality most resembled that of independent religious practices. Finally, positive religious/spiritual coping followed a linear trajectory, but a cohort difference precluded its interpretation as developmental change.

Discussion and implications: Individuals appear to engage with their faith in different ways as they age, meaning extant conclusions about age-related differences and change in global religiosity/spirituality may be distorted.

Keywords: Daily spiritual experiences; Faith; Organizational practices; Religiosity.

Figure 1.

Longitudinal change in communal religious practices from 45 to 80. Because age was centered at 45 and rescaled to represent decades, 0 corresponds to age 45, 1 corresponds to age 55, 2 corresponds to age 65, and 3 corresponds to age 75. Thus, the change trajectory can be interpreted as change in communal religious practices from age 45 to 80.

Figure 2.

Longitudinal change in independent religious practices from 45 to 80. Because age was centered at 45 and rescaled to represent decades, 0 corresponds to age 45, 1 corresponds to age 55, 2 corresponds to age 65, and 3 corresponds to age 75. Thus, the change trajectory can be interpreted as change in independent religious practices from age 45 to 80.

Figure 3.

Longitudinal change in spirituality from 45 to 80. Because age was centered at 45 and rescaled to represent decades, 0 corresponds to age 45, 1 corresponds to age 55, 2 corresponds to age 65, and 3 corresponds to age 75. Thus, the change trajectory can be interpreted as change in spirituality from age 45 to 80.

Figure 4.

Longitudinal change in negative religious/spiritual coping from 45 to 80. Because age was centered at 45 and rescaled to represent decades, 0 corresponds to age 45, 1 corresponds to age 55, 2 corresponds to age 65, and 3 corresponds to age 75. Thus, the change trajectory can be interpreted as change in negative religious/spiritual coping from age 45 to 80.