Religiosity may not be a mediator between violence in childhood and adulthood

1.  In this study, individuals who suffered less violence during childhood were more religious in adulthood.

2. Religiosity did not show evidence of a mediating role between violence suffered in childhood and violence perpetrated or experienced in adulthood.

Evidence Rating Level: 3 (Average)

Previous studies have demonstrated the protective role of religiosity in many violent situations such as intimate partner violence, fights, and gang affiliations. However, the role of religiosity as a mediator for suffering violence in childhood and perpetrating or being a victim of violence in adulthood has not yet been studied. As a result, the objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between religiosity in adulthood and being a victim of violence in childhood and to determine if religiosity could mediate this relationship.

The present cross-sectional, multistage sampling study was based on the Second Brazilian National Alcohol and Drugs Survey (II BNADS). 3378 participants were included (n=47.5% men; mean age = 43.1 years). Individuals were included if they were at least 19 years old and lived in Brazil between November 2011 and March 2012. Participants were excluded if they were indigenous or had severe cognitive impairment. Participants were administered the Hispanic Americans Baseline Alcohol Survey (HABLAS) in a face-to-face format. The outcomes of interest were analyzed using logistic regression models.

Results demonstrated that individuals who suffered less violence during childhood were more religious in adulthood. Furthermore, religiosity did not show evidence of a mediating role between violence suffered in childhood and violence perpetrated or experienced in adulthood. Despite this, the study was limited by the retrospective nature of the questionnaire. Nonetheless, the present findings highlighted the need to further explore the mediating role of religiosity in violence during childhood and adulthood.

Click to read the study in Frontiers in Medicine

Image: PD

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