College Students\' Involvement in Religious Organizations and Sources of Social Support

Abstract

Past research has investigated and demonstrated the benefits for students who are involved in extracurricular activities. However, the research focused primarily on participation in social, academic, and athletic organizations. The impact of student involvement in religious organizations is yet to be determined. In addition, it is only recently that religious support has been identified as a unique and valid source of social support. Thus, the role that student involvement in religious organizations plays in student's perception of social support remains unclear. In this study, it was expected that religious involvement would predict perceived religious support. It was also hypothesized that perceived religious support would be positively related to perceived friend, perceived family support, and overall social support. Results of the study show that religious involvement predicted perceived religious support, and perceived religious support was positively related to perceived friend support and perceived family support. Implications for future research in higher education are discussed.

Ife Psychologia Vol.13(1) 2005: 200-213