Spiritual behavior and stress in adolescents: An initial study

Abstract

Spirituality is often associated with mental health, including stress. Older people tend to have high rates of involvement in spirituality rather than young people. This study aimed to identify the relationship between spiritual behavior and the stress levels of 152 high school students, using a descriptive correlation research design. The data collection techniques involved a spiritual dimension scale questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 42 (DASS 42). The data were analyzed using Spearman's rho correlation test. The results show that the spiritual behavior distribution was mostly in the moderate category (53.3%), and stress level distribution was primarily in the normal category (63.8%). The finding also revealed that there was no correlation between spiritual behavior and stress levels in high school students. These results may differ from the previous studies. Although stress in this group showed a normal category, their mental health needs to be considered given the amount of stressors adolescents may face.