Role of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Symptoms in Adolescent Psychological Well-being: Moderating Effect of Religious Orientation

Religious orientation is one of the factors influencing the behavior and reactions of individuals that can play an important role in the relationship between various factors and psychological well-being. This study aimed to investigate the role of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in adolescent psychological well-being considering the moderating effect of religious orientation.

The present study was conducted in 2017 on 471 high school students in the secondary education, Education Department District 2, in Qom, Iran. The participants were selected using the convenience sampling method. The data were collected using the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale, Reefchr('39')s Psychological Wellbeing Scale, and Religious Orientation Scale. Following that, the data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 23) through Pearson correlation coefficient, regression analysis, and moderation analysis.

The result of Pearson correlation showed that depression, anxiety, and stress with coefficients of -0.60 (P<0.01), -0.40 (P<0.01), and -0.49 (P<0.01), respectively, and religious orientation with a coefficient of 0.33 (P<0.01) were correlated with psychological well-being. Moreover, these variables with a value of F=53.15 were able to significantly predict psychological well-being (P<0.01). furthermore, The results of moderation analysis showed that religious orientation could moderate the negative effect of anxiety and stress on psychological well-being.

The results of the present study confirmed the key role of religious orientation in adolescent well-being and the effect of this factor in reducing the negative effects of psychological disorders, including anxiety and stress. Therefore, it is possible to help promote mental health by strengthening religious orientation among adolescents.