4 Troubled Teens Blog

Religion helps people develop self-control, which at least one psychologist believes may explain why religious people have lower rates of substance abuse and depression, better academic success, lower levels of criminal behavior, better health, and longer lives.

Dr. Michael McCullough of the University of Miami Department of Psychology combed through eighty years of research on religion for a report published in the journal Psychological Bulletin. Among his findings were that religious rituals affect the part of the brain that regulates self-control, which may explain why religious people are less likely to misuse drugs and alcohol or have criminal behaviors.

Dr. McCullough also found that since religious people believe their goals are "sacred," they put more energy into them, and are more likely than others to attain them.

Labels: substance_abuse, religion, self-control

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Two new research studies indicate that children who have spiritual lives tend to be happy and well adjusted.

A University of British Columbia study found that children who feel that their lives have meaning are happier than their peers. However, religious practices such as attending church did not affect their happiness.

Professor Mark Holder and his colleagues surveyed 320 Canadian children (ages 8 to 12) and their parents about the children's temperaments, religious practices, and spirituality. Outgoing children tended to be happier than shy ones, and children who had spiritual values such as being kind to others were more likely to be happy.

This was the first study of young children. Previous studies have found a link between teenagers' happiness and spirituality.

A second study, from the National Center for Health Statistics in the United States, indicated that children who live in two-parent families and who regularly attend religious services are less likely to have problems at home or in school.

Specifically, these children were 5.5 times less likely to repeat a grade and 2.5 times less likely to be reported by school officials for conduct or academic problems than were children who did not live in two-parent homes or attend religious services. It did not matter whether the parents were biological or adoptive.

The NCHS study used surveys of more than 100,000 children and their parents. The results were the same regardless of the child's family income, parental education, or race.

Labels: development, religion, spirituality

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Religious teens are less likely to use drugs, according to a study that was published in the Journal of Drug Issues.

The researchers found that individual religiosity is linked to a lowered likelihood of using alcohol or smoking, and decreases a teen's chances of using marijuana by half. However, religiosity did not affect cocaine or heroin abuse.

Researchers from Brigham Young University looked at answers to two questions that were posed to more than 14,000 teens: How often do you attend church? and How important is religion to you?

"Previously it was thought that if someone grew up in a religious community and went to church, then the community's religious strength would make a difference," said Professor Stephen Bahr, co-author of the study. "We basically found that was not the case. Individual religiosity is what makes the difference."

Labels: drug_use, influences, religion

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