Religious and Spiritual Development from Adolescence to Early Adulthood in the U.S.: Changes over Time and Sexual Orientation Differences

Decoding the discourse: a closer look at high-risk behaviors among Iranian adolescents

BACKGROUND

This study explores the dominant discourses surrounding policies related to high-risk sexual behaviors, drug use, and alcohol abuse among Iranian adolescents, as well as the prevailing discourse among the adolescents themselves who engage in these behaviors.

METHODS

Using a qualitative approach, we conducted interviews with 36 Iranian adolescents exhibiting high-risk behaviors and analyzed high-level documents on adolescent health from 1979 to 2023.

RESULTS

The dominant discourse in policy documents is rooted in religious principles, emphasizing that social structures should align with the ultimate goal of human life, which is nearness to God. In contrast, the dominant discourse among adolescents' centers on material desires and personal pleasure, valuing social structures that promote joy and individualism.

DISCUSSION

This study reveals a significant discourse gap between policymakers and adolescents, which could undermine the effectiveness of current policies and interventions. Policymakers in Iran and other ideologically driven countries should recognize this gap and take steps to bridge it. By incorporating the perspectives of adolescents and tailoring policies to align more closely with their values, there is a greater likelihood of enhancing the effectiveness of these initiatives.

Longitudinal Associations Between Depression and Religiosity/Spirituality Among Individuals with Asthma in the United States

There is limited literature examining the longitudinal stability of depressive symptoms for individuals with asthma, or how religiosity/spirituality relates to depressive symptoms across time. The present study aimed to identify the stability of and the longitudinal associations between depressive symptoms and R/S across multiple developmental periods for adolesents with asthma (N = 998) within the United States. Depressive symptoms (βrange 0.33 - 0.60) and R/S (βrange 0.26 - 0.73) were stable across time, with some variability. A cross-lagged association demonstrated that use of R/S in young adulthood (Wave 3) was associated with decreased depressive symptoms in adulthood (β = -0.17, p < .001, CI - 0.25 - - 0.09, SE = 0.04). Use of R/S in adolescence (Wave 2) was predictive of increased depression in adulthood (β = 0.13, p < .001, CI 0.05 - 0.20, SE = 0.04). Results demonstrated differential relations between R/S and depressive symptoms across development, and highlight the potential importance of integrating conversations focused on R/S within healthcare settings, especially as R/S during young adulthood may buffer against or reduce depressive symptoms in adulthood.

Queer in the Latter Days: An Integrated Model of Sexual and Religious Identity Development Among Former Mormon Sexual Minority Adults

Sexual minority individuals often have complicated relationships with conservative religion, including conflicts between their sexual and religious identities. Sexual minority members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (CJCLDS) experience unique struggles, given the policies and doctrine of the CJCLDS and its commitment to heteronormative family structures and gender roles. A better understanding of the identity development trajectory for sexual minority individuals formerly involved in the church can deepens our understanding of sexual identity development in constrained contexts and help promote successful identity integration within this subpopulation. Transcripts from semi-structured interviews with thirty-four sexual minority individuals who identified as former members of the CJCLDS were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach, followed by a deductive theory-building process in which Cass's Homosexual Identity Formation Model and Genia's Religious Identity Development Model were overlaid on themes. We present a model that captures the trajectory of sexual and religious identity development that captures the experiences of sexual minority adults within the constraints of the CJCLDS, a non-affirming religious denomination.

Religion/Spirituality, Stress, and Resilience Among Sexual and Gender Minorities: The Religious/Spiritual Stress and Resilience Model

Although many sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) consider themselves religious or spiritual, the impact of this religiousness or spirituality (RS) on their health is poorly understood. We introduce the religious/spiritual stress and resilience model (RSSR) to provide a robust framework for understanding the variegated ways that RS influences the health of SGMs. The RSSR bridges existing theorizing on minority stress, structural stigma, and RS-health pathways to articulate the circumstances under which SGMs likely experience RS as health promoting or health damaging. The RSSR makes five key propositions: (a) Minority stress and resilience processes influence health; (b) RS influences general resilience processes; (c) RS influences minority-specific stress and resilience processes; (d) these relationships are moderated by a number of variables uniquely relevant to RS among SGMs, such as congregational stances on same-sex sexual behavior and gender expression or an individual's degree of SGM and RS identity integration; and (e) relationships between minority stress and resilience, RS, and health are bidirectional. In this manuscript, we describe the empirical basis for each of the five propositions focusing on research examining the relationship between RS and health among SGMs. We conclude by describing how the RSSR may inform future research on RS and health among SGMs.