Sharon Cruise

Religion and happiness: Consensus, contradictions,comments and concerns

The relationship between religion and happiness has been the focus of much research. The present review provides a critical examination of this research and, in particular, focuses on conceptual and methodological concerns. The majority of studies report a positive association between measures of religion and happiness; however, contradictory findings are common. This is exemplified in the literature that has systematically employed the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity alongside two different measures of happiness among a variety of samples. Two opposing conclusions have found consistent support. Research with the Oxford Happiness Inventory has consistently found religiosity to be associated with happiness, while research employing the Depression–Happiness Scale has consistently found no association. It is argued that such contradictions may reflect both conceptual and methodological weaknesses in this literature.

Adolescent men's attitudes in relation to pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review of the literature from 1980-2009.

This review article reveals a long-standing gender bias in academic and policy research on adolescent pregnancy, which has led to the neglect of adolescent mens perspectives. The review summarizes the available literature on adolescent mens attitudes in relation to pregnancy occurrence and pregnancy outcomes in the context of addressing three questions: (1) What are adolescent mens attitudes to an adolescent pregnancy? (2) What are adolescent mens attitudes in relation to pregnancy outcomes? (3) What explanations are offered for the identified attitudes to adolescent pregnancy and resolution? The review establishes a foundation for future quantitative and qualitative research on adolescent mens perspectives. It emphasizes that a greater understanding of adolescent mens perspectives could lead to a re-framing of adolescent pregnancy away from being seen solely as a womans issue. Furthermore, it is argued that the inclusion of adolescent men would lead to more effective adolescent pregnancy prevention and counseling programmes.

Religion and health: The application of a cognitive-behavioural framework

The empirical examination of the relationship between religion and health has often lacked theoretical direction. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between dimensions of religiosity and health within the context of James and Wells’ cognitive-behavioural framework of religion. A community sample of 177 UK adults completed measures of religious orientation, religious coping, and prayer activity alongside the SF-36 Health Survey. Consistent with the cognitive-behavioural framework of religion, intrinsic religiosity and meditative prayer scores accounted for unique variance in both physical and mental health scores over a number of religious measures. These findings suggest the potential usefulness and importance of a cognitive-behavioural framework to understand the relationship between religion (as measured by meditative prayer and intrinsic religiosity) and health.

Adolescent men's attitudes and decision-making in relation to an unplanned pregnancy. Responses to an interactive video drama

This study confronts a gender bias in research on adolescent pregnancy by exploring adolescent mens decisions relating to a hypothetical unplanned pregnancy. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with adolescent men (N = 360) aged between 14 and 18 years attending schools in the Republic of Ireland. The study, the first of its kind in Europe, extends the small body of evidence on adolescent men and pregnancy decision-making by developing and examining reactions to an interactive video drama used in a comparable study in Australia. In addition, we tested a more comprehensive range of sociological and psychological determinants of adolescent mens decisions regarding an unplanned pregnancy. Results showed that adolescent men were more likely to choose to keep the baby in preference to abortion or adoption. Adolescent mens choice to continue the pregnancy (keep or adopt) in preference to abortion was significantly associated with anticipated feelings of regret in relation to abortion, perceived positive attitudes of own mother to keeping the baby and a feeling that a part of them might want a baby. Religiosity was also shown to underlie adolescent mens views on the perceived consequences of an abortion in their lives.

Temporal Stability of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity Short-Form: Test-Retest Data over One Week

This study evaluated the test-retest reliability of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity short-form. 39 Northern Irish undergraduate students completed the measure on two occasions separated by one week. Stability across the two administrations was high, r = .92, and there was no significant change between Time 1 (M = 25.2, SD = 5.4) and Time 2 (M = 25.7, SD = 6.2). These data support the short-term test-retest reliability of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity short-form.

Temporal Stability of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity Short-Form Among 10- To 12-Year-Old English Children: Test-Retest Data Over 15 Weeks

Recently three studies have reported on the test-retest reliability of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity; however, these studies were limited to comparatively small samples (Ns = 39, 114, 58). The present study examined the temporal stability of the 7-item version of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity over a 15-week period among a sample of 581 English children aged between 10 and 12 years. Data demonstrated that stability across the two administrations was very high (r = .79); however, there was a significant change in mean scores between Time 1 and Time 2.

Adolescent Men’s Pregnancy Resolution Choices in Relation to an Unintended Pregnancy: A Comparative Analysis of Adolescent Men in Three Countries

This article investigates adolescent men’s pregnancy resolution choices in Australia, Ireland, and Italy. It addresses two main gaps in the literature: the lack of research on (adolescent) men’s views on unintended pregnancy and pregnancy resolution and the lack of international comparative case studies on men and reproductive choices. Consistent with theories of the transformation of intimacies in society and the growth of individualization, the results suggest that adolescent men are interested in the effect of an unintended pregnancy on their individual biographies as well as the effect on their girlfriend’s health and well-being. However, Australian male adolescents were much more likely to choose abortion than Italian or Irish adolescents, suggesting adolescent males have also internalized country-level debates surrounding abortion. Methodologically, the article demonstrates an innovative approach to data collection using a computer-based interactive drama to facilitate participants’ deliberation and responses. It was shown to engage a large number of adolescent men and is likely to have wider generalizability in developing international comparative research on the topic as well as applications for health promotion.

Internal reliability and temporal stability of the New Indices of Religious Orientation among Indian undergraduates: test–retest data over 15 days

The present study examined the internal reliability and temporal stability of both the long and short forms of the New Indices of Religious Orientation, containing measures of Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Quest religiosity, over a 15-day period among a sample of 100 Indian university students. Internal reliabilities for the long form of the measure at times 1 and 2 were acceptable for all subscales with the exception of the intrinsic subscale at time 2. Reliability estimates for the extrinsic and intrinsic subscales of the short form of the measure at both time 1 and time 2 were also less than satisfactory, though the alpha coefficients for the quest subscale were satisfactory. Data demonstrated that stability across the two administrations for both long- and short-form versions of the three dimensions of religious orientation were moderately high to high (ranging from r = 0.63 to r = 0.76). Moreover, intra-class correlation coefficients were similar to those derived from the Pearsons correlation coefficients, thus confirming that there were no systematic errors between the time 1 and time 2 datasets. However, there were significant differences in mean scores between time 1 and time 2 for both long- and short-form versions of the intrinsic and quest religious orientation subscales.

The influence of parents, older siblings, and non-parental care on infant development at nine months of age

BACKGROUND The majority of research examining the influence of social environment on early child development suggests benefits to two-parent households, but contradictory evidence for the effects of siblings. The aims of the present study were to examine the influence of the childs proximal social environment, and the effects of interactions between socioeconomic status and social environment on developmental outcomes. METHODS Primary caregivers of a representative sample of 10,748 nine-month-old infants in Ireland completed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire and provided information on social environment. Adjustment was made for infant and maternal characteristics, household income, and area where the child was living at the time of the study. Further analyses tested for interactions between social environment and household income. RESULTS Binary logistic regressions indicated no effects for number of parents in the household. However, the presence of siblings in the household was a consistent predictor of failing to reach milestones in communication, gross motor, problem-solving, and personal-social development. Furthermore, there was a gradient of increasing likelihood of failing in gross motor, problem-solving, and personal-social development with increasing numbers of siblings. Care by a grandparent decreased the likelihood of failing in communication and personal-social development. CONCLUSIONS These findings do not support the majority of research that finds positive benefits for two-parent households. Similarly, the findings suggest limited effects for non-parental care. However, the observed negative effects of siblings support both the confluence and resource dilution models of sibling effect. Examination of follow-up data may elucidate current findings.

Prevalence and factors associated with depression and depression-related healthcare access in mothers of 9-month old infants in the Republic of Ireland

AIMS Untreated maternal depression during the postpartum period can have a profound impact on the short- and long-term psychological and physical well-being of children. There is, therefore, an imperative for increased understanding of the determinants of depression and depression-related healthcare access during this period. METHODS Respondents were 11 089 mothers of 9-month-old infants recruited to the Growing Up in Ireland study. Of this sample, 10 827 had complete data on all relevant variables. Respondents provided sociodemographic, socioeconomic and household information, and completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD). RESULTS 11.1% of mothers scored above the CESD threshold for depression. 10.0% of depressed mothers and 25.4% of depressed fathers had depressed partners. Among depressed mothers, 73.1% had not attended a healthcare professional for a mental health problem since the birth of the cohort infant. In the adjusted model, the likelihood of depression was highest in mothers who: had lower educational levels (odds ratio (OR) 1.26; 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.08, 1.46); were unemployed (OR 1.27; 95% CIs 1.10, 1.47); reported previous mental health problems (OR 6.55; 95% CIs 5.68, 7.56); reported that the cohort child was the result of an unintended pregnancy (OR 1.43; 95% CIs 1.22, 1.68), was preterm (OR 1.35; 95% CIs 1.07, 1.70), or had health/developmental problems (OR 1.20; 95% CIs 1.04, 1.39); had no partner in the household (OR 1.33; 95% CIs 1.04, 1.70) or were living with a depressed partner (OR 2.66; 95% CIs 1.97, 3.60); reported no family living nearby (OR 1.33; 95% CIs 1.16, 1.54); were in the lowest income group (OR 1.60; 95% CIs 1.21, 2.12). The primary determinant of not seeking treatment for depression was being of non-white ethnicity (OR 2.21; 95% CIs 1.18, 4.13). CONCLUSIONS Results highlight the prevalence of maternal depression in the later postpartum period, particularly for lower socioeconomic groups, those with previous mental health problems, and those with limited social support. The large proportion of unmet need in depressed mothers, particularly among ethnic minority groups, emphasises the need for a greater awareness of postpartum mental health problems and increased efforts by healthcare professionals to ensure that mothers can access the required services.