Religiosity as a Predictor of Mindfulness and Self-concept among Youth

Religiosity or tendency of individuals to commit themselves to religious beliefs, principles, and activities has certain behavioral implications such as an individual's ability to interact with, assess, and manage their physical surroundings. Mindfulness is described as an intentional and nonjudgmental focus of attention and awareness of the present moment (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Similarly, self-concept pertains to an individual's comprehensive collection of personal beliefs or self-knowledge (Rosenberg, 1979). The present study investigates religiosity as a potential determinant of mindfulness and self-concept. The participants of this study consist of 133 men and women, within the age range of 18-35 years. They were assessed by using three scales, namely, the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS-15) by Huber and Huber (2012); the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) by Brown and Ryan (2003); and Personal Self-concept Questionnaire (PSC) by Goñi et al. (2011). Pearson's product-moment correlation and linear regression were used as a statistical analysis tool to assess the relationship between religiosity, mindfulness and selfconcept. Results revealed that there was a statistically significant positive correlation between Religiosity and Mindfulness (r = 0.536) and a statistically negative correlation between Religiosity and Self-concept (r = -.422). Linear regression for Religiosity and Mindfulness, and Self-concept was found to be significant.