Do Daily Spiritual Experiences Moderate the Effect of Stressors on Psychological Well-being? A Smartphone-based Experience Sampling Study of Depressive Symptoms and Flourishing

ABSTRACT

Much of the survey research on religion/spirituality and mental health in the U.S. must be assumed to capture stable respondent traits when it is possible temporary states are actually being recorded. The smartphone-based experience sampling method (ESM) in the SoulPulse Study, which collected data twice a day for two weeks, allows an opportunity to examine this problem further by assessing state (single moment) and trait (two-week average) scores of daily spiritual experiences (DSE) as moderators of a daily stressor checklist, depressive symptoms, and flourishing (a well-being indicator that addresses happiness, life satisfaction, meaning and purpose, virtue, close social relationships, etc.). Findings indicate robust direct associations between stressors, DSE, and well-being, as well as substantial support for the moderating role of state and trait daily spiritual experiences. The study: 1) demonstrates that DSE may serve as a buffer against daily stressors at both the trait and state levels, 2) provides further evidence for flourishing as a holistic indicator of well-being, and 3) indicates that ESM methodologies can add to our understanding of human well-being.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ Stress is characterized by physiological arousal and negative affect which emerge from interactions in the environment that exceed one’s ability to cope (see Lazarus, 1966).

² SoulPulse is an omnibus survey with over 120 items. To keep daily surveys both short and interesting, items were frequency-weighted to randomly appears on a programmed percentage of surveys.

³ This phrasing combines two items – “strength” and “comfort” are separate items on the DSES. The same strategy was employed in the 1997–98 General Social Survey.

⁴ This phrasing combines two items – “directly” and “through others” are separate items on the DSES. The same strategy was employed in the 1997–98 General Social Survey.

⁵ Remaining figures take similar shape and are available by request.

Additional information

Funding

This research uses data from SoulPulse, a project directed by Bradley R.E. Wright at the University of Connecticut and funded by the John Templeton Foundation, grant #48298.