Browsing by Author "Culver, Julian Lee"

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    How Consistency in Closeness to God Predicts Psychological Resources and Life Satisfaction: Findings from the National Study of Youth and Religion
    (2019-05-01) Culver, Julian Lee; Brown, Tony N
    With data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR), this study investigates the association between consistency in closeness to God and psychological resources and life satisfaction. I focus on emerging adults who believe in God and are present across Waves 1-3 (n=1,795). Outcomes include Wave 3 psychological resources (i.e., life purpose and personal mastery) and life satisfaction. Key predictors include two indicators of across-time consistency in closeness to God: (1) a four-category pattern variable and (2) a discrete numeric summary score. In survey-adjusted linear regression models, the pattern variable and summary score of closeness to God show distinct associations with psychological resources and life satisfaction. The pattern variable indicates respondents becoming less close to God fare worse than those consistently close to God. In contrast, the summary score indicates high levels of consistency in closeness predict favorable levels of each outcome. However, the quadratic closeness to God summary score term indicates that high levels of consistency (whether consistently distant from or close to God) predict high levels of personal mastery and life satisfaction. The cubic closeness to God summary score term indicates that levels of life purpose and personal mastery decrease initially, increase, then decrease with increasing levels of consistency to God. Researchers must account for dynamism in emerging adults’ closeness to God. Static portraits of closeness mask the significance of consistency.