Validation of RSAS-5 and Relationship to Substance Use
Location
D.P. Culp Center Ballroom
Start Date
4-5-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
4-5-2024 11:30 AM
Poster Number
74
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Andrea Clements
Faculty Sponsor's Department
Psychology
Competition Type
Competitive
Type
Poster Presentation
Presentation Category
Health
Abstract or Artist's Statement
Past research has used the Surrender Scale (SS) and the Religious Surrender and Attendance Scale 3 (RSAS-3) to measure religious surrender and commitment. Post-COVID-19, religious services have expanded to more than in-person services, i.e., online gatherings. The RSAS-3 measured intrinsic religious surrender instead of extrinsic surrender, observable aspects of religion. This study sought to expand on the types of religious attendance items in the RSAS-3 to reflect this change in the RSAS-5, to expand the religious surrender items to measure surrender extrinsically, and to increase the clarity of other items. To validate this new measure, six experts of religious measurement were asked to anonymously evaluate the new items in Study 1. The RSAS-5 was then examined in relation to the Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription medication, and other Substance use (TAPS) Tool, a measure of type and severity of substance use, in Study 2. This study used a community-based sample: primarily white (94%) and female (68%), mean age 45.5 (SD 13.5). Results in Study 1 indicated an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.81, CI 95% [0.40, 0.97], p<.002 for interrater reliability. Results in Study 2 showed a negative significant relationship between the RSAS-5 and the TAPS Tool (β =-1.4, p<.001). Study 2 also provided evidence for RSAS-5 reliability through high Cronbach's alphas: RSAS-5 surrender subscale had an alpha level of 0.89, RSAS-5 attendance subscale had an alpha level of 0.95. Based on the results in Study 1 and Study 2, the RSAS-5 measure is a reliable and better measure to use post-COVID-19, as it reflects the new realities of individual engagement in religious services. Furthermore, it provides evidence that religious surrender and attendance may be a protective factor to substance use. Future studies should further test the validation of the RSAS-5 instrument through examining the convergent validity of other measures of religious surrender and attendance.
Validation of RSAS-5 and Relationship to Substance Use
D.P. Culp Center Ballroom
Past research has used the Surrender Scale (SS) and the Religious Surrender and Attendance Scale 3 (RSAS-3) to measure religious surrender and commitment. Post-COVID-19, religious services have expanded to more than in-person services, i.e., online gatherings. The RSAS-3 measured intrinsic religious surrender instead of extrinsic surrender, observable aspects of religion. This study sought to expand on the types of religious attendance items in the RSAS-3 to reflect this change in the RSAS-5, to expand the religious surrender items to measure surrender extrinsically, and to increase the clarity of other items. To validate this new measure, six experts of religious measurement were asked to anonymously evaluate the new items in Study 1. The RSAS-5 was then examined in relation to the Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription medication, and other Substance use (TAPS) Tool, a measure of type and severity of substance use, in Study 2. This study used a community-based sample: primarily white (94%) and female (68%), mean age 45.5 (SD 13.5). Results in Study 1 indicated an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.81, CI 95% [0.40, 0.97], p<.002 for interrater reliability. Results in Study 2 showed a negative significant relationship between the RSAS-5 and the TAPS Tool (β =-1.4, p<.001). Study 2 also provided evidence for RSAS-5 reliability through high Cronbach's alphas: RSAS-5 surrender subscale had an alpha level of 0.89, RSAS-5 attendance subscale had an alpha level of 0.95. Based on the results in Study 1 and Study 2, the RSAS-5 measure is a reliable and better measure to use post-COVID-19, as it reflects the new realities of individual engagement in religious services. Furthermore, it provides evidence that religious surrender and attendance may be a protective factor to substance use. Future studies should further test the validation of the RSAS-5 instrument through examining the convergent validity of other measures of religious surrender and attendance.