Youth

Research Project

Dr. King and her research team continue to explore psychological aspects of spiritual development and the potential psychological resources within religion and spirituality that promote thriving for young people.

Research Link

“We are Protected”: Examining youth perceptions of safety within a faith-based positive a faith-based positive youth development program in El Salvador / Journal of Youth Development

Episode

Are you looking for a sense of purpose? Does it feel like you’ve lost your way? Purpose is a vital part of our spiritual health. We know we need it, but for some of us, it can be so hard to find. Psychologist Belle Liang helps us navigate and thrive holistically through an understanding of our own journey and the stories that shape us. She names four essential elements of purpose: (1) character strengths, (2) skills and expertise, (3) deeply held values, and (4) a sense of contribution to the world. Includes a real-time practical exercise for aligning with our...

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How do we keep young people engaged in church? This is part 3 of a 3-part series.

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Why do kids need a community that models love, and what does emotional safety have to do with it. Part 2 of a 3-part series.

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How do you find a community to support your family? What kinds of support help families grow spiritually healthy and thrive.

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A Thrive Scholars Fellow shares transcendent experiences along with caring adults can stimulate spirituality and virtue development in youth.

Research Link

Citation Vaughn, J. M., & King, P. E. (2024). Religious involvement. In Encyclopedia of Adolescence (pp. 411–421). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-96023-6.00002-6 Abstract Religion and spirituality are well-established contributors to adolescent well-being and development. Though efforts to identify the specific manners through which they may influence adolescents are ongoing, involvement in a religious congregation or community appears particularly beneficial. Religious involvement, which can take many forms, offers adolescents increased access to an abundance of resources – social, ideological, and transcendent. Accordingly, after describing trends in adolescent religiosity and religious involvement, we unpack what it means for an adolescent to be involved in their...

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Research with Compassion International yielded results explaining the assets that come from spirituality across countries and challenges.

Research Link

Citation King, P. E., & Mangan, S. (2023). Hindsight in the 2020s: Looking back and forward to positive youth development and thriving. In L. J. Crockett, G. Carlo, & J. E. Schulenberg (Eds.), APA handbook of adolescent and young adult development (pp. 609–627). American Psychological Association. Abstract Positive youth development (PYD) started as a field of practice before it became a field of study. With a heightened awareness of the necessity of a framework for the thriving of all youth and all societies, the chapter considers the purpose of PYD and consequently revisits the concept of teleology, offering a revised understanding...

Research Link

Citation Tirrell, J. M., Dowling, E. M., Kibbedi, P., Namurinda, E., Iraheta, G., Dennis, J., Malvese, K., Abbasi-Asl, R., Williams, K., Lerner, J. V., King, P. E., Sim, A. T. R., & Lerner, R. M. (2023). Measuring Youth Perceptions of Being Known and Loved and Positive Youth Development: Cross-National Findings from Rwanda and El Salvador. Child & Youth Care Forum, 52(5), 1093–1119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-022-09725-6 Abstract Background Dynamic, relational developmental systems-based models of development emphasize that developmentally-nurturant youth-adult relationships elicit in youth perceptions of being known and loved. Although such perceptions are foundations of positive youth development (PYD), such measures do not...

Research Link

Citation Vaughn, J. M., King, P. E., Mangan, S., Noe, S., Hay, S., O’neil, B., … & Sim, A. T. R. (2022). Agentic and receptive hope: Understanding hope in the context of religiousness and spirituality through the narratives of Salvadoran youth. Religions, 13(4), 376. Abstract Hope contributes to positive development in adolescents, and religious and spiritual contexts may be particularly important for developing and supporting hope. However, extant literature on hope, religion, and spirituality neglects their synergistic relation, leaving questions about how they work together to support development. In this study, we explore how religiousness and spirituality (R/S) inform hope...