Religiosity and Adjustment in Muslim Minority Youth in Canada

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Authors

Elsayed, Danah

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University of Guelph

Abstract

Previous research has often found religiosity in youth to be largely adaptive, predicting higher prosocial and lower problem behaviours, higher self-regulation, and higher self-esteem, among other outcomes (French et al., 2008). However, most of this research has been done with youth who were members of the majority faith (e.g., Christians in America, Muslims in Indonesia). Key social-psychological theories suggest that the experience of religiosity and an individual’s subsequent outcomes likely differ as a function of their minority status (Hogg & Reid, 2006; Tajfel et al., 1979). This thesis examines the role of religiosity in Muslim minority youth in Canada. Findings demonstrate that religiosity is still generally protective for religious minority youth, however, these relations are highly dependent upon the strength of an individual’s religious identification, the degree to which they believe they are identifiable as a Muslim, the influence of social norms, and their experiences with discrimination.

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Keywords

social identity, visibility, self-esteem, religiosity, Muslims, prosocial behaviour, adjustment, youth, discrimination, anti-social behaviour

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