Project Dates
January 2017—Present
Thrive Research Team
Principal Investigator: Pamela Ebstyne King
Postdoctoral Research Associate: Susan Mangan
Student Researcher: Abbey Craigg
Project Overview
From a relational developmental systems meta-theoretical perspective, human development occurs through the ongoing interactions between a person and the many different environments or systems in which they live. Spiritual development is no exception.
The Measure of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) Scale was developed in order to measure a young person’s experience of their understanding of transcendence and their response attitudinal and behavioral response to it. From this perspective, spirituality is not just a feeling or experience of something beyond the self, but spirituality involves one’s process of making meaning, informing one’s sense of self and their worldviews, and motivates actions and behaviors that are aligned with their spiritual ideals.
Specifically, the MDAS is comprised of three subscales, including Transcendence, Fidelity, and Action. Although the MDAS was developed as a multidimensional measure of adolescent spirituality for use with diverse youth, including those who self-identify as spiritual outside of a religious tradition, it has been used mostly in Christian populations in the U.S., Mexico, El Salvador, and Rwanda.1
While there are many different measures that examine spirituality, the MDAS is particularly well-suited to assess spirituality in an emerging population because of the developmental tasks that emerging adults engage in. In a previous study, we found that a highly religious emerging adult population endorsed themes of Transcendence– Sacred, Transcendence– Other, Self-Awareness and Contribution.2 In this current study, we will test the psychological viability of the MDAS in a diverse emerging adult population.
For any questions regarding the items and modification process for contextualizing the MDAS for culturally and spiritually diverse samples, please contact Dr. Pamela King at pamking@fuller.edu.
Endnotes
1. King, P.E., Yoo, Y., & Vaughn, J.M.* (in press). Under construction: Refined findings of the Measure of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) among Latino youth in Mexico and El Salvador. In K. Harris, A. Ai., & P. Wink (Eds.), Assessing spirituality and religion in a diversified world. New York: Springer Press.
2. Craigg, A. L. (2019). A factor analysis of the Measure of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality in emerging adults. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Fuller Theological Seminary School of Psychology, Pasadena, CA.
Related Publications
- King, P. E., Yoo, Y., & Vaughn, J. M., Tirrell, J. M., Geldhof, G. J., & Dowling, E. M. (2021). The Measure of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) and refined findings from Mexican and Salvadoran youth. In K. Harris, A. Ai, & P. Wink (Eds.), Assessing Spirituality and Religion in a Diverse World. New York: Springer Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52140-0_16
- King, P.E., Yoo, Y., Vaughn, J.M., Tirrell, J.M., Geldhof, G.J., Iraheta, G., Williams, K., Sim, A. Stephenson, P., Dowling, E.M., Lerner, R.M., & Lerner, J.V. Evaluating the Measure of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality in samples of Mexican and Salvadoran youth. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 13(2), 246-253. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000279
- Tirrell, J. M., Geldhof, G. J., King, P. E., Dowling, E., Sim, A., Williams, K., Iraheta, G., Lerner, J. V., & Lerner, R. M. (2018). Measuring spirituality, hope, and thriving among Salvadoran youth: Initial findings from the Compassion International Study of Positive Youth Development. Child & Youth Care Forum, 48(2), 241-268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-018-9454-1
- King, P. E., Kim, S., Furrow, J. F., & Clardy, C. E. (2017). Preliminary exploration of the Measurement of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) among Mexican youth. Applied Developmental Science, 21(4), 235-250. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2016.1203789
Continue Exploring
Spirituality
Evaluating the measure of diverse adolescent spirituality in samples of Mexican and Salvadoran youth
Citation King, P. E., Yoo, Y., Vaughn, J. M., Tirrell, J. M., Geldhof, G. J., Iraheta, G., Williams, K., Sim, A., Stephenson, P., Dowling, E., Lerner, R. M., & Lerner, J. V. (2021). Evaluating the measure of diverse adolescent spirituality in samples of Mexican and Salvadoran youth. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 13(2), 246–253. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000279 Abstract This study examines the psychometric properties and applicability of the Measure of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS), including the factors of transcendence and fidelity, across 2 samples of adolescent youth from low- and middle-income countries (Mexico and El Salvador). Drawing on relational developmental systems metatheory, spirituality is…
Christian
The Measure of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) and refined findings from Mexican and Salvadoran youth
Citation King, P. E., Yoo, Y., & Vaughn, J. M., Tirrell, J. M., Geldhof, G. J., & Dowling, E. M. (2021). Under construction: The Measure of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) and refined findings from Mexican and Salvadoran youth. In K. Harris, A. Ai, & P. Wink (Eds.), Assessing Spirituality and Religion in a Diverse World. New York: Springer Press. Abstract This volume addresses an important problem in social scientific research on global religions and spirituality: How to evaluate the role of diverse religious and spiritual (R/S) beliefs and practices within the rapid evolution of spiritual globalization and diversification trends. The…
Spirituality
Preliminary exploration of the Measurement of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) among Mexican youth
Citation King, P. E., Kim, S., Furrow, J. F., & Clardy, C. E. (2017). Preliminary exploration of the Measurement of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) among Mexican youth. Applied Developmental Science, 21(4), 235-250. Abstract In the current article we propose and offer a preliminary test of an ecologically sensitive theoretical and methodological framework for understanding diverse adolescent spiritual development. The study summarizes the initial stages of development of the Measurement of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) that assesses three dimensions of spirituality: transcendence, fidelity, and contribution. We report our procedures and findings from an initial effort to contextualize the…
Spirituality
Adolescent Spiritual Exemplars: Exploring Spirituality in the Lives of Diverse Youth
Citation King, P. E., Clardy, C. E., & Ramos, J. S. (2013). Adolescent spiritual exemplars: Exploring spirituality in the lives of diverse youth. Journal of Adolescent Research, 29(2), 186-212. Abstract This qualitative study aimed to develop theory about psychological constructs relevant to spiritual development in diverse adolescents. Exemplar and Consensual Qualitative Research methods were used to explore 30 interviews of adolescents aged 12 to 21 years (M = 17.73 years) representing eight religions and six countries from around the world. Participants were nominated for living with profound spirituality within their own culture and completed semistructured interviews in their country of…