Spiritual Development of Emerging Adults Over the College Years: A 4-Year Investigation

Spirituality at a crossroads: A grounded theory of Christian emerging adults.

“…Research has shown that during the developmental stage of emerging adulthood, there are multiple ways EAs express their spirituality, ranging from committed and involved to irreligious and disengaged (Arnett, 2004; Smith & Snell, 2009). Although most EAs identify as religious or spiritual, their religious participation and spiritual vitality tend to decrease over time (Astin, Astin, & Lindholm, 2011; Hall, 2010; Hall & Edwards, 2013). Nevertheless, there is a continuum of R/S identification, interest, participation, and experience of spirituality among EAs, many of which impact life outcomes.…”

“…Our interest in the current study was to examine R/S among Christian EAs. While there is little research in this area, the National Survey of Youth and Religion (NSYR, Smith & Snell, 2009) and a recent longitudinal study of Christian college students (Hall & Edwards, 2013) are two recent, notable explorations of Christian spirituality in EA.…”

“…Hall and Edwards (2013) examined how R/S changes over the college years for Christian EAs attending a Christian college. Collecting data at eight time points allowed them to model both linear and curvilinear changes over time.…”