The Relationship Between Psychological Health and Attitude Toward Christianity Among Pupils Aged 11 to 15 Years in England

Abstract

Advocates of the secularization thesis describe radical decline in the significance of the Christian tradition among young people in England. In this context, a sample of 5,808 pupils age 11 to 15 years provided data about their religious identity and practice and completed the short-form Revised Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (as a measure of psychological health) and the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity (as a measure of their affective commitment to the Christian tradition). The data showed that half of the pupils retained some connection with the Christian tradition and that a positive attitude toward Christianity was associated both with lower psychoticism scores and with higher neuroticism scores. There is evidence, therefore, to link a positive view of Christianity with some indicators of better psychological health (lower psychoticism) and with some indicators of poorer psychological health (higher neuroticism).

Notes

∗p < .05; ∗∗p < .01; ∗∗∗p < .001. E = extraversion.

∗p < .05; ∗∗p < .01; ∗∗∗p < .001.

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Notes on contributors

LESLIE J. FRANCIS

The Reverend Professor Leslie J Francis is Director of the Welsh National Centre for Religious Education and Professor of Practical Theology, University of Wales, Bangor, UK.

LINDA BURTON

Canon Linda Burton is Lecturer in Religious Education, School of Education, University of Durham, England, UK.