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- Title
Low risks for spiritual highs: Risk-taking behaviours and the protective benefits of spiritual health among Saskatchewan adolescents.
- Authors
Hatala, Andrew; McGavock, Jonathan; Michaelson, Valerie; Pickett, William
- Abstract
Objectives Adolescent risk-taking behaviours, such as substance use and early sexual activity, can adversely impact physical health and psychosocial development. A connection to spiritual health may buffer against the negative health impacts of several risk-taking behaviours. The aim of this study was to determine if higher spiritual health was associated with lower risk-taking behaviours among school-attending adolescents in Saskatchewan, Canada. Methods A representative sample of 4,751 adolescents in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan completed the Health Behaviour of School-aged Children (HBSC) questionnaire during the 2014 to 2015 school year. The main risk-taking behavioural outcomes were self-reported: smoking; alcohol; and cannabis use; as well as sexual intercourse. The main exposures related to spiritual health included four factors: connectedness to (1) one's self; (2) others; (3) nature; and (4) notions of the transcendent. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to test for associations between exposures and outcome measures. Results The sample was balanced across gender, primarily Caucasian (71%), and primarily ages 11 to 15 years (48%). Adolescents indicated a high prevalence of spiritual health. Across all adjusted models, the results demonstrated that adolescents who value the various components of spiritual health showed a decreased likelihood of engaging in cigarette smoking, alcohol and marijuana use, and sexual intercourse. Conclusion The findings indicate the potential for spiritual health to be considered as the basis for public- and community-health interventions, pending further evidence from experimental studies.
- Subjects
SASKATCHEWAN; SUBSTANCE abuse prevention; SMOKING prevention; RISK-taking behavior; SPIRITUALITY; CANNABIS (Genus); SELF-evaluation; SEXUAL intercourse; MULTIVARIATE analysis; MULTIPLE regression analysis; MIDDLE school students; ADOLESCENT health; CHILDREN'S health; QUESTIONNAIRES; ALCOHOL drinking; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; SCHOOL children; HIGH school students; CHILDREN; ADOLESCENCE
- Publication
Paediatrics & Child Health (1205-7088), 2021, Vol 26, Issue 2, pe121
- ISSN
1205-7088
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/pch/pxaa007