Aspiring to Do All Things Through Him Who Strengthens? Quixotic Hope, Religiosity, and Mental Health in Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

Beliefs about the probability of educational success tend to be very optimistic in the United States. However, scholars are beginning to uncover mental health consequences associated with quixotic hope—the unrealistic outstripping of expectation by aspiration. Using longitudinal data from Waves 1 and 3 of the National Study of Youth and Religion, this study asks, (1) does religiosity promote or diminish the likelihood of quixotic hope? and (2) does religious attendance and closeness to God mitigate long-term mental health consequences of quixotic hope? Results show that weekly religious attendance had a modest negative relationship with the likelihood of experiencing quixotic hope, while increasing religious attendance over time attenuated the negative mental health consequences of quixotic hope on increases in depression. Closeness to God neither predicted quixotic hope nor played a moderating role for depression. As educational expectations rise, regular religious practice may help protect the emotional well-being of youth.

Religiosity and spirituality in the prevention and management of depression and anxiety in young people: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The findings highlight the dynamic nature of religious beliefs and their evolution during transition to adulthood [ 24 ]. Religious participation during early adolescence could be related to familial religiosity whereas with greater cognitive development, the protective effect of religious salience may become relevant during mid- to late- adolescence [ 33 , 49 , 93 ]. It is thus possible that the benefits of religiosity and spirituality in the prevention and management of depression and anxiety are more pronounced at specific timepoints during adolescence.…”

Wellbeing and religious community participation: Exploring resources for wellbeing in areas of socio‐economic deprivation in the United Kingdom

“…This can be explained by religious social integration, which buffers against isolation (DeAngelis & Ellison, 2018). Research also indicates that the communal aspects of religiosity more effectively foster wellbeing than private expressions (Stroope & Baker, 2018; Upenieks, 2021). Similarly, wellbeing is related to individual‐congregation alignment (Hayward & Elliott, 2009).…”