Religious identity as a mediator between religious socialization from parents, peers and mentors and psychological well-being and adjustment among Korean American adolescents.

Abstract

The dissertation explored the religious identity development process through religious socialization within family (i.e., parents) and community (i.e., religious mentors and friends) and its influence on developmental outcomes among 155 Korean American adolescents. This study also investigated how religious identity might mediate the association between religious socialization by parents, friends and mentors and outcome measures (i.e., prosocial behavior and peer competence, school competence, internalizing and externalizing behavior problems). Using path analyses to test mediation, religious identity fully mediated the relationship between religious socialization by parents and prosocial behavior and peer competence, whereas religious identity partially mediated the relationship between religious socialization by friends and prosocial behavior and peer competence. Religious socialization by mentors was not associated with religious identity or any of the outcome measures. A competing model with religious identity as a moderator was tested. The interaction between religious socialization by parents and the religious identity of adolescents was significantly associated with adolescents' externalizing behavior problems. Youths with low religious identity showed more externalizing behavior problems when they received more religious socialization by parents. Study limitations and directions for future research were discussed in light of these findings.