Does Spirituality Make a Difference? Psychosocial and Health-Related Characteristics of Spiritual Well-Being

Abstract

This investigation examined the relationship among differing levels of spiritual well-being and 11 psychosocial and health-related characteristics. This study assessed the hypothesis that spiritual health is a powerful contributor to overall health. Participants were 462 college students at two separate colleges in the Pacific Northwest. Results revealed that those subjects scoring higher on the measure of spiritual health displayed better outcomes on psychosocial measures such as loneliness, self-esteem, and hopelessness. Alcohol and drug use were also significant discriminators between the high and the low spiritual well-being groups. Results of this study suggest that spiritual well-being interventions may be useful to address a variety of adverse health indicators in a college student population.