Influence of Spiritually Enriched Family Environment on Emotional Regulation and Psychological Adjustment of Adolescents

Abstract

Adolescence is a very important stage of development when the family setting plays a major role in determining psychological well-being. This paper has explored the connection between spiritually enriched family setting, emotional control and psychological adaptation of Indian adolescents. The survey was cross-sectional and involved 420 teenagers between the age of 14-18 years living in Northern Indian urban and semi-urban regions. The standardized measures were standardized such as the Family Environment Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Short Form, Bell Adjustment Inventory, and Index of Core Spiritual Experiences. The hypothesis was that adolescents raised in spiritual enhanced family conditions would show excellent emotional regulation and psychological adaptation than their colleagues. Findings indicated strong positive correlations existed between family spiritual practices (r = 0.68, p < 0.001), emotional regulation abilities (r = 0.72, p < 0.001) and psychological adjustment scores (r = 0.64, p < 0.001). The results indicate that family spirituality is a protective factor to improve adolescent mental health, and it has implications on family-based interventions and counseling programs in Indian cultural settings.