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The Relationship Between Spirituality and Wisdom

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The Relationship Between Spirituality and Wisdom DISSERTATION PROTECTIVE FACTORS AGAINST ALCOHOL ABUSE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS: SPIRITUALITY, WISDOM, AND SELF-TRANSCENDENCE Submitted by Sydney E. Felker Department of Psychology In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Fall 2011 Doctoral Committee: Advisor: Kathryn M. Rickard Co-Advisor: Richard M. Suinn Lisa Miller Thao Le Copyright by Sydney E. Felker 2011 All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT PROTECTIVE FACTORS AGAINST ALCOHOL ABUSE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS: SPIRITUALITY, WISDOM, AND SELF-TRANSCENDENCE Past research consistently suggests that spirituality is a protective factor against substance abuse in adolescents and adults. Many other personality and environmental factors have been shown to predict alcohol abuse and alcohol-related problems, yet much of the variance in alcohol abuse remains unexplained. Alcohol misuse continues to plague college campuses in the United States and recent attempts to reduce problematic drinking have fallen short. In an effort to further understand the factors contributing to students’ alcohol abuse, this study examines how spirituality, wisdom, and self- transcendence impact the drinking behaviors of college students. Two groups of students were studied: 1. students who were mandated for psychoeducational and clinical intervention as a result of violating the university alcohol policy; 2. a comparison group of students from the general undergraduate population who had never been sanctioned for alcohol misuse on campus. Alcohol use behaviors were assessed through calculating students’ reported typical blood alcohol level and alcohol-related problems. Results showed that wisdom is significantly and negatively related to blood alcohol level and alcohol-related problems for the mandated group but not the comparison group. Self-transcendence was inversely related to blood alcohol level for the ii control group only and spirituality was not related to alcohol use measures for either group. Participant group membership, gender, and wisdom accounted for a significant amount of variance in blood alcohol level, but only group membership explained variance in alcohol-related problems. Gender analyses were conducted by group, revealing significant differences in how spirituality, wisdom, and self-transcendence relate to alcohol use for men and women. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are offered. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the individuals who significantly contributed to the development, implementation, and documentation of this research. Thank you for your incredible support in helping me complete this dissertation. Pam McCracken, M.S., Colorado State University Health Network: Counseling Services, served a vital role in assisting me with my data collection efforts. Lisa Miller, Ph.D., Colorado State University Health Network: Counseling Services, served on my committee and was determined to help me gather the necessary research sample. Also, she helped inspire my clinical interest in students with substance abuse problems, which fueled the research questions in this dissertation. Richard M. Suinn, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, and Kathryn Rickard, Ph.D, Associate Professor, Psychology Department, Colorado State University, served as co-advisors for this project. They were supportive, caring, and dedicated to my completion of this project. Thao Le, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Hawaii, served as a member of my committee and helped direct my research questions and evaluation of results. iv Brandi Sampson volunteered her time as an undergraduate research assistant to help me throughout the dissertation process. My parents, Linda and Stephen Felker, provided invaluable emotional and financial support through my doctoral degree. Their encouragement provided me with the motivation and confidence to complete this project. Robert J. Ross showed remarkable patience with me throughout the final stages of this dissertation. His support significantly enhanced my personal well-being during a particularly stressful period in my life. Thank you. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I Introduction..............................................................................................................1 Spirituality....................................................................................................4 Wisdom......................................................................................................12 Self-transcendence.....................................................................................16 Relationship between Spirituality, Wisdom, and Self-transcendence.........................................................................17 Chapter II Present Study.........................................................................................................19 Hypotheses.................................................................................................20 Chapter III Method...................................................................................................................22 Participants.................................................................................................22 Measures ...................................................................................................24 Demographic Questionnaire..........................................................24 Spiritual Meaning Scale (SMS) ....................................................24 Three- Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS)...............................25 Adult Self-Transcendence Inventory (ASTI).................................27 Daily Drinking Questionnaire (DDQ) ..........................................28 vi Frequency-Quantity Questionnaire (FQQ) ...................................29 Rutgers Alcohol Problem Inventory (RAPI) ................................29 Procedure...................................................................................................30 Chapter IV Results ...................................................................................................................32 MT Group Gender Analysis.......................................................................40 Control Group Gender Analysis................................................................41 Combined Group Gender Analysis............................................................42 Gender Interaction.....................................................................................45 Chapter V Discussion..............................................................................................................48 Limitations ................................................................................................56 Implications................................................................................................59 Future Research.........................................................................................60 Chapter VI References..............................................................................................................64 Appendix A............................................................................................................77 Appendix B............................................................................................................79 Appendix C1..........................................................................................................81 Appendix C2..........................................................................................................83 Appendix C3..........................................................................................................85 Appendix D............................................................................................................87 Appendix E............................................................................................................89 vii Appendix F.............................................................................................................90 Appendix G............................................................................................................92 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Participant Demographics and Differences between Groups......................................23 Table 2. Group and Gender Differences................................................................................34 Table 3. Correlations between Variables by Group...............................................................37 Table 4. Predictors Accounting for Variation in Alcohol Use ................................................38 Table 5. Correlations between Variables by Gender and Z-test for Significant Differences.....44 Table 6. Effects of Wisdom and Gender on Alcohol Use ......................................................46 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. MT Group: The Effects of Wisdom and Gender on Alcohol Consumption.....41 Figure 2. Control Group: The Effects of Wisdom and Gender on Alcohol Consumption............................................................................................42 Figure 3. Total Sample: The Effects of Wisdom and Gender on Alcohol Consumption............................................................................................45 Figure 4. Total Sample: The Effects of Wisdom and Gender on Alcohol Problems........47 x Chapter I Introduction Many people associate college campuses in the United States with drinking alcohol,
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