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01-06-2008 | Original Paper

Religiousness and College Student Alcohol Use: Examining the Role of Social Support

Authors: Feyza S. Menagi, Zaje A. T. Harrell, Lee N. June

Published in: Journal of Religion and Health | Issue 2/2008

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating role of social support in the relationship between religiousness and alcohol use in a sample of college students. Two dimensions of religiousness: religious commitment and religious coping were examined as predictors of alcohol use. Participants were male and female college students (N = 221); the majority of the sample was Christian (73.8%). Emotional social support was tested as a mediator. Both religiousness dimensions and emotional social support were related to less frequent alcohol use; however, mediation was not supported. These findings indicate that religious commitment and dispositional religious coping are protective against alcohol use, yet social support does not account for this relationship.

Although “religiosity” is also a widely used term in the literature (King and Crowther 2004), there has been an assertion that the connation of this term is pejorative. Thus, the preferred term of “religiousness” has gained favor in the literature.

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Title: Religiousness and College Student Alcohol Use: Examining the Role of Social Support
Authors: Feyza S. Menagi
Zaje A. T. Harrell
Lee N. June
Publication date: 01-06-2008
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Religion and Health / Issue 2/2008
Print ISSN: 0022-4197
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6571
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-008-9164-3

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