Abstract
Religiousness is reliably associated with lower substance use, but little research has examined whether self-control helps explain why religiousness predicts lower substance use. Building on prior theoretical work, our studies suggest that self-control mediates the relationship between religiousness and a variety of substance-use behaviors. Study 1 showed that daily prayer predicted lower alcohol use on subsequent days. In Study 2, religiousness related to lower alcohol use, which was mediated by self-control. Study 3 replicated this mediational pattern using a behavioral measure of self-control. Using a longitudinal design, Study 4 revealed that self-control mediated the relationship between religiousness and lower alcohol use 6 weeks later. Study 5 replicated this mediational pattern again and showed that it remained significant after controlling for trait mindfulness. Studies 6 and 7 replicated and extended these effects to both alcohol and various forms of drug use among community and cross-cultural adult samples. These findings offer novel evidence regarding the role of self-control in explaining why religiousness is associated with lower substance use.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 339-351 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of personality and social psychology |
Volume | 107 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2014 |
Keywords
- Alcohol
- Religiosity
- Self-control
- Self-regulation
- Substance use
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- Social Psychology