Effects of intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity on well-being through meaning in life and its gender difference among adolescents in Hong Kong: A mediation study

• Published in: Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.) N.J.), 2023-03, Vol.42 (9), p.7171-7181
• Main Authors: Li, Angela Yuen Chun, Liu, Jacky Ka Kei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavioral Science and Psychology; Children & youth; Gender differences; Psychological aspects; Psychology; Quality of life; Religious aspects; Religiousness; Self esteem; Sex differences (Psychology); Social aspects; Social Sciences; Teenagers; Youth
• ISSN: 1046-1310; 1936-4733
• DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-02006-w

The present study examines and explores the indirect effects of intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity on well-being, namely self-esteem and life satisfaction, through presence of and search for meaning in life, and its gender difference among adolescents. 301 girls and 395 boys from Hong Kong participated in this cross-sectional survey study. Independent t-test, correlation and four mediation model analyses with a bootstrap of 5000 samples were conducted. Girls score higher in extrinsic religiosity (personal) and search for meaning in life; lower in self-esteem compared with boys. Presence of meaning in life was found to positively mediate the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic personal religiosity on self-esteem and life satisfaction for boys but is not significant for girls. However, intrinsic religiosity promotes higher search for meaning in life, which in turn lowers self-esteem only for girls. The indirect effect of extrinsic social religiosity on well-being was not significant for both genders. Finding suggests that boys benefit more from religiosity on well-being.