Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Alethea A. Baker

Abstract

Before and since the Coronavirus pandemic, college students suffered from increasing rates of mental health conditions affecting their well-being. Researchers have requested more studies on prayer as a strategy to address well-being issues. The purpose of this anonymous online survey study (N = 59) was to discover if there were any associations between religiosity and well-being, daily Rosary frequency and well-being, and if daily Rosary frequency mediated an association between religiosity and well-being of Catholic students in college in the United States during the pandemic in 2021. Participants were recruited via social media, listservs, email, one nationwide organization, the Walden University participant pool, and snowballing. Linear regressions, Spearman correlations, and mediation analyses with bootstrap sampling were used to examine participants’ responses to the Duke University Religion Index, daily Rosary frequency questions, and the World Health Organization Well-Being Index - Five. Choice Theory and the biopsychosocial-spiritual model helped explain the results. A statistically significant link was found between religiosity and well-being when daily Rosary frequency was treated as a mediator; however, since the statistical power was .43, future studies with larger sample sizes were recommended. Nonetheless, statistically significant positive associations were found with powers > .80 between religiosity and well-being, p = .035, and between daily Rosary frequency and well-being, p = .010. These results may aid health professionals to design strategies to include daily Rosary praying to serve Catholic students in college more effectively, which may spur a positive social change in terms of improving their well-being, even in times of crisis.

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