Title
Exploring the Relationship Between Religious Strength, Academic Performance, and Mental Health
Publication Date
2023
Document Type
Poster
Department
Psychology
Faculty Mentor
Dana Hirn Mueller
Abstract
Religiosity is an area of the human psyche that can establish peoples’ perceptions of the world. Most people in the world believe in a higher power, and there are many psychological benefits to this. According to literature in the field, some of these benefits include constructive coping strategies (DeRosset et al., 2021), high self-efficacy (Florin et al., 2021), improved academic performance (Henning et al., 2015), and better overall mental wellbeing (Tamkeen et al., 2021). The goal of this study was to explore the potential correlations between Religious Strength/Affiliation and Academic Performance and Religious Strength/Affiliation and Mental Wellbeing. Another purpose that this study fulfills is that it is very repeatable for anyone else who is interested in this research topic. To address the research questions for this project, an online survey was conducted wherein participants were asked to answer questions about their mental wellbeing, religiosity, and academic performance. The data collected for this study supports the hypothesis of: people who have stronger religious beliefs will have better overall mental wellbeing and stronger academic performances. However, not all of the data in this study fit the hypothesis and showed little to no correlation. Limitations of the current study, which could be addressed through the use of future research, include use of a convenience sample which may not be generalizable or representative of the general population.