Religiosity and Spirituality Scale for Youth

Abstract

The Religiosity and Spirituality Scale for Youth (RSSY) is a comprehensive psychological scale developed by Brittany C. Hernandez in 2011. Its primary objective is the robust measurement of various dimensions of religiosity and spirituality specifically within adolescent populations. The scale moves beyond simple adherence metrics to assess how faith impacts daily life, including mechanisms of coping and engagement in religious social activities. The final version of the instrument consists of 37 items, categorized into distinct factors, demonstrating strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability.

Keywords

Religiosity, Spirituality, Adolescents, Youth, Faith-based Coping, Religious Social Support, Psychological Measurement, Scale Validation.

Authors

Brittany C. Hernandez.

Purpose

The core purpose of the RSSY is to provide a robust and psychometrically sound instrument capable of measuring the multifaceted nature of religious and spiritual involvement among young people. Existing instruments often focus solely on adult populations or lack the specificity required to capture the unique expression of faith and its behavioral consequences in adolescence.

This scale was designed to differentiate between cognitive beliefs, private devotional practices, and public social engagement, thereby offering researchers a more nuanced understanding of how youth utilize spirituality and religiosity as resources for psychological well-being and coping with stress.

Construct

The RSSY measures the broad construct of Religious and Spiritual Engagement, operationalized through behavioral, cognitive, and affective components. The primary dimensions identified during development include Faith-based Coping and Religious Social Support/Activities. Faith-based Coping relates to the utilization of religious beliefs (e.g., prayer, reliance on God’s plan) to manage stress, anxiety, and adverse life events.

Religious Social Support/Activities focuses on observable behaviors and external engagement, such as attending prayer groups, discussing beliefs with peers, volunteering, and seeking support within a religious community. These dimensions highlight the dual nature of faith as both an internal psychological resource and an external social structure.

Validity

Initial validation of the RSSY was conducted as part of the author’s doctoral research, focusing on establishing the internal structure and external relationships of the scale. The validation process, described in detail in the 2011 thesis, sought to establish strong construct validity by ensuring the items accurately reflected the intended dimensions of youth religiosity.

The scale’s structure, separating Coping mechanisms from Social Activities, provides evidence of discriminant validity, confirming that these aspects of faith operate as distinct psychological constructs in the youth population.

Reliability

The RSSY demonstrated strong internal consistency across its primary subscales. Reliability estimates were calculated using Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest correlations, indicating stable and consistent measurement properties.

Specific reliability coefficients for the final 37-item version are:

• Faith-based Coping: Internal Consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was 0.94, indicating excellent reliability. The temporal stability (test-retest reliability) was 0.71.

• Religious Social Support/Activities: Internal Consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was 0.90, also demonstrating high reliability. The temporal stability (test-retest reliability) was 0.85.

Factor Analysis

Although the specific methodology of the factor analysis (e.g., Exploratory Factor Analysis or Confirmatory Factor Analysis) is detailed in the original dissertation, the resulting structure clearly supports a multi-dimensional model of youth faith. The identification of two primary factors—Faith-based Coping and Religious Social Support/Activities—suggests that the items cluster into distinct, yet related, domains.

This factor structure validates the theoretical separation of internalized, emotional reliance on faith (coping) versus external, observable participation within a religious community (social support/activities).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological scale.

Format: 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 to 3.

Language Available: English (Original development).

Population Group: Adolescents and Youth.

Age Group: Typically utilized for middle school through high school ages (Adolescence).

Population Details: Developed using a student sample, likely drawn from the surrounding area of Louisiana State University, as detailed in the thesis.

Test Methodology: Pen-and-paper or digital administration. Scoring involves summing or averaging item responses within the identified subscales (Faith-based Coping and Religious Social Support/Activities). The scoring anchors are: 0 = I never do OR believe this; 1 = I do OR believe this some of the time; 2 = I do OR believe this most of the time; 3 = I always do OR believe this.

Keywords

Psychometrics, Internal consistency, Test-retest reliability, Adolescent development, Faith, Social behavior.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 2011.

Permissions & Fee: As a PhD thesis instrument, the scale is generally considered available for academic research purposes, though specific permissions should be sought from the author (Brittany C. Hernandez) or Louisiana State University. No commercial fee structure is indicated in the source material.

Reference’s

Hernandez, Brittany C. (2011). The Religiosity and Spirituality Scale for Youth: Development and Initial Validation. PhD thesis, Louisiana State University. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-10142011-115001/unrestricted/hernandez_diss.pdf

Items of the Religiosity and Spirituality Scale for Youth

Final Version (37 items):

1. My religious beliefs make me happy.

2. I pray in public.

3. I study/read scriptures.

4. When I’m worried or nervous‚ my faith helps me calm down.

5. When I need help‚ I go to people with my same religious beliefs.

6. I attend prayer groups.

7. Praying gives me strength when I’m upset.

8. When trying to solve a problem‚ I ask God for help.

9. I have a close relationship with God.

10. When I do something wrong‚ I ask for God’s forgiveness.

11. I listen to religious songs or poetry about God.

12. I talk with others about my religious beliefs.

13. My faith gives me hope in tough times.

14. I watch religious TV shows or movies.

15. When I face a problem‚ I pray for God’s help.

16. I spend time with kids who share my religious beliefs.

17. Knowing God is with me keeps me from feeling lonely.

18. I find teachings about God interesting or helpful.

19. My belief in God gives my life meaning.

20. I believe God will not give me more than I can handle.

21. I read books about God (other than the holy scriptures).

22. I give money based on my religious beliefs.

23. When something bad happens‚ I know God is trying to make me stronger.

24. I volunteer to help others based on my religious beliefs.

25. I ask other people to pray for me.

26. When bad things happen‚ I know God will show me the answers.

27. My beliefs about God help me decide what to do in hard situations.

28. When I’m upset‚ I remind myself that God loves me.

29. I confess my sins to God.

30. When I’m upset‚ I remind myself to be thankful for what I have.

31. When I’m struggling‚ I ask God to help me understand my situation.

32. I give others spiritual or religious advice.

33. I say scriptures to myself when I’m upset or scared.

34. When bad things happen‚ I try to figure out what lesson God is trying to teach me.

35. My faith gives me feelings of peacefulness.

36. I get strength and support from people in my religious community.

37. God comforts me.

Pilot Version (72 items):

1. My religious beliefs make me happy.

2. I believe there is a God.

3. I pray in public.

4. I pray alone.

5. I pray with family.

6. I get strength and support from God.

7. God has plans for my life.

8. I study/read scriptures.

9. When I’m worried or nervous‚ my faith helps me calm down.

10. When bad things happen‚ I get mad at God.

11. God loves me.

12. When I need help‚ I go to people with my same religious beliefs.

13. I attend prayer groups.

14. God cares about me.

15. I attend religious classes‚ such as Sunday School.

16. Praying gives me strength when I’m upset.

17. When trying to solve a problem‚ I ask God for help.

18. I have a close relationship with God.

19. When I do something wrong‚ I ask for God’s forgiveness.

20. I listen to religious songs or poetry about God.

21. God is with me and takes care of me.

22. I talk with others about my religious beliefs.

23. When bad things happen to me‚ I wonder if God is punishing me.

24. God knows everything.

25. God put me on earth for a reason.

26. My faith gives me hope in tough times.

27. I watch religious TV shows or movies.

28. When I face a problem‚ I pray for God’s help.

29. My belief in God is important to me.

30. I spend time with kids who share my religious beliefs.

31. Knowing God is with me keeps me from feeling lonely.

32. I find teachings about God interesting or helpful.

33. My belief in God gives my life meaning.

34. I believe God will not give me more than I can handle.

35. I read books about God (other than the holy scriptures).

36. God is there for me when I need Him.

37. I give money based on my religious beliefs.

38. When bad things happen‚ I question God’s power to protect me.

39. God created all things.

40. I would go to my church‚ temple‚ or mosque even if my parents didn’t make me.

41. When something bad happens‚ I know God is trying to make me stronger.

42. I stand up for my religious beliefs when they are questioned by others.

43. I volunteer to help others based on my religious beliefs.

44. If I’m sorry‚ I can be forgiven by God for the things I do wrong.

45. I ask other people to pray for me.

46. When bad things happen‚ I know God will show me the answers.

47. My beliefs about God help me decide what to do in hard situations.

48. God loves me the way I am.

49. I say a prayer or blessing before eating.

50. When I’m upset‚ I remind myself that God loves me.

51. I confess my sins to God.

52. When I’m upset‚ I remind myself to be thankful for what I have.

53. I believe the holy scriptures are God’s true word.

54. I worship God with song‚ chant‚ or words.

55. When I’m struggling‚ I ask God to help me understand my situation.

56. I give others spiritual or religious advice.

57. I say scriptures to myself when I’m upset or scared.

58. There is a heaven waiting for me.

59. When bad things happen‚ I try to figure out what lesson God is trying to teach me.

60. I live out my beliefs by helping others.

61. When bad things happen‚ I lose faith in God.

62. I forgive others when they hurt me.

63. God cares about even my smallest problems.

64. I have friends at my church‚ temple‚ or mosque.

65. I only go to my church‚ temple‚ or mosque to see my friends.

66. My faith gives me feelings of peacefulness.

67. I praise/thank God when good things happen.

68. It makes me happy to be close to God.

69. I get strength and support from people in my religious community.

70. When bad things happen‚ I try to bargain with God.

71. Religious rituals and traditions are important to me.

72. God comforts me.