Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire: psychometric analysis in older adults

Abstract

Objectives: To assist researchers and clinicians considering using the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSRFQ) with older-adult samples, the current study analyzed the psychometrics of SCSRFQ scores in two older-adult samples.

Method: Adults of age 55 or older who had formerly participated in studies of cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety and/or depression were recruited to complete questionnaires. In Study 1 (N = 66), the authors assessed the relations between the SCSRFQ and other measures of religiousness/spirituality, mental health, and demographic variables, using bivariate correlations and nonparametric tests. In Study 2 (N = 223), the authors also conducted confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses of the SCSRFQ, as well as an item response theory analysis.

Results: The SCSRFQ was moderately to highly positively correlated with all measures of religiousness/spirituality. Relations with mental health were weak and differed across samples. Ethnic minorities scored higher than White participants on the SCSRFQ, but only in Study 2. Factor analyses showed that a single-factor model fit the SCSRFQ best. According to item response theory analysis, SCSRFQ items discriminated well between participants with low-to-moderate levels of the construct but provided little information at higher levels.

Conclusion: Although the SCSRFQ scores had adequate psychometric characteristics, the measure's usefulness may be limited in samples of older adults.

Keywords:

• religion
• spirituality
• aging
• mental health
• measurement

Note

Notes

1. We adhere to the definitions of religion and spirituality outlined by the editors of the APA Handbook of Psychology, Religion and Spirituality (Pargament, Mahoney, Exline, Jones, & Shafranske, 2013). They define spirituality as a ‘search for the sacred’ (Pargament et al., 2013, p. 14) in which people seek to connect with or understand that which is ultimate, transcendent, or boundless. Religion is ‘the search for significance that occurs within the context of established institutions that are designed to facilitate spirituality’ (Pargament et al., 2013, p. 15). Because these definitions suggest spirituality is the core function of religion, and because the SCSRFQ and other measures used in this paper assess both religious and spiritual factors, we elected to refer to the constructs jointly as ‘R/S.’

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (R01-MH53932) and the Veterans Affairs South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) and in part with resources and the use of facilities at the Houston VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (CIN 13-413) at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.