Religiosidade, espiritualidade e felicidade na infância e adolescência

Abstract

Great and progressive interest has arisen from the knowledge of the effects on positive health of religiosity and spirituality and how they are established in people's lives. Many studies attest to the influence of religiosity/spirituality on physical and mental health, longevity, well-being and happiness; few others pose health harms when a negative perception of the transcendent, God or something superior is exercised. However, a few studies are found of the association between religiosity/spirituality and health outcomes in children. Objectives: this study aimed to investigate the associations between religiosity/spirituality and childhood happiness (and to test the mediating role of parenting styles) by investigating in the child population and their families the implications that religiosity/spirituality and parenting styles have on happiness rates. Methods: our sample included pupils attending the 6th grade of elementary school in both lay public and private confessional schools in Juiz de Fora-MG, and their parents. All (parents and children) were assessed by answering the happiness questionnaires (subjective happiness scale), religiosity/spirituality (BMMRS - Adapted) and parenting styles (IEP), as well as qualitative questions that aimed to evaluate religiosity/spirituality. Results: 276 children were evaluated. Important associations were observed between religiosity/spirituality and childhood happiness. Variables such as “feeling the love of God” or “feeling the presence of God” when scored as “never” imply an OR of 0.10 (0.01 - 0.99), that is, 90% chance of being less happy when compared to feeling God's love or His presence “many times a day”. Religious attendance was also associated with happiness, as the affirmation of never attending implied an OR of 0.23 (0.08 - 0 66), compared to attending more than once a week. In the qualitative analysis the importance of religiosity/spirituality for students was striking, as well as to their families. Conclusion: data show that religiosity/spirituality is associated with better happiness rates even in childhood. Future longitudinal studies will be necessary to investigate the causality of this association.