Is Religiosity a Protective or a Risk Factor Against Worry in Polish Adolescents?: The Mediating Role of the Religious Coping Strategies.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether religiosity, understood as a trusting or anxious attachment to God, is associated with adolescent worry and whether this relationship is mediated by positive and/or negative religious strategies. A total of 500 Polish adolescents aged 15-19 years (M = 17.36; SD = 1.29) were studied; 52.2% were male and 47.2% were female. The Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children (PSWQ-C) developed by Chorpita et al., and in particular the Polish adaptation by Talik, was used to assess worry. The Questionnaire of Attachment to God developed by Matys and Bartczuk-was used to assess attachment to God (trusting and anxious). Religious strategies were assessed via the Brief RCOPE developed by Pargament et al. The results suggest that positive and negative religious strategies are significant mediators of religiosity and adolescent worry. The nature of this mediation is complex and varies according to the type of religiosity. In the case of a trusting attachment to God, both types of religious strategies are important mediators, with the mediation being of the classical suppression type. In the relationship between anxious attachment to God and worry, there is an inconsistent mediation effect for negative religious strategies and no significant mediation effect for positive strategies.