Buffering effect of religiosity for adolescent substance use

This research examined the hypothesis that religiosity buffers the impact of life stress on adolescent substance use. Data were from a sample of 1,182 participants surveyed on 4 occasions between 7th grade (mean age 12.4 years) and 10th grade. Religiosity was indexed by Jessor’s Value on Religion Scale (R. Jessor & S. L. Jessor, 1977). Zero-order correlations showed religiosity inversely related to alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. Significant Life Events Religiosity buffer interactions were found in cross-sectional analyses for tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. A latent growth analysis showed that religiosity reduced the impact of life stress on initial level of substance use and on rate of growth in substance use over time. Implications for further research on religiosity and substance use are discussed. Recent investigations have indicated that religiosity is a protec-tive factor with regard to health status. Epidemiologic studies have indicated that religiosity is inversely related to adult mortality rates, and lower rates of substance use among individuals with an involvement in religion have been suggested as contributing to this mortality differential (Levin, 1996; McCullough, Hoyt, Larson, Koenig, & Thoresen, 2000). A relation of religious involvement to lower rates of alcohol use and problem behavior among adoles-cents has also been observed in several areas of the United State