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What the Research is Saying...
Research on College Student Spirituality & Religion:
5 Key Areas That Play a Significant Role in Student Development and Well-Being:
religious affiliation (or lack thereof)
institutional religious affiliation
interplay between student and institutional affiliations
college experiences, and campus religious climate
Religious Affiliation:
Evangelical Christians experience the greatest spiritual and religious development, related to spiritual quest, religious commitment, and religious engagement
Double religious minority (minority in society and on campus) and nonreligious students experienced fewer gains or no gains at all
Institutional Religious Affiliation:
Religious students at religious schools have greater gains in their development
Double religious minority students were more adversely affected by the campus environment at Catholic institution
Interplay between Student & Institutional Affiliation:
Interactions decreased skepticism and enhanced religious commitment, religious engagement, spiritual quest, spiritual identification, and well-being
Campus Religious Climate:
When students held positive perceptions of the religious and spiritual climate on campus, their spiritual struggles decreased, and their ecumenical worldview grew
The Spiritual Struggle within Students:
Ways in which students negotiate emotions such as fear, manage their changing perspectives on their various identities, and search for meaning and purpose in life is:
Composed of five elements:
questioning one’s religious/ spiritual beliefs
feeling unsettled about spiritual and religious matters
struggling to understand evil, suffering, and death
feeling angry at God
feeling disillusioned with one’s religious upbringing
Minoritized religions primarily outside of traditional Christianity (e.g., Buddhism, Islam, Unitarian), women, people of color, and LGBTQ populations are more prone to spiritual struggle
Students had spiritual struggles as a result of activities such as “converting to another religion; being on a spiritual quest; discussing religion/spirituality with friends; and discussing politics” (Patton et. al 2016).
Spirituality: Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Race:
Women tend to experience greater spiritual growth in comparison to their male counterparts in college.
Research is limited regarding spirituality and sexual orientation. LGBT students, spirituality was linked to acceptance, personal relationships, and nature and a reflective process of reconciliation between sexual identity and spirituality.
First year of college through junior year Black, Asian, and Latinx students had greater gains in their ecumenical worldview.
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