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Results
The total sample size of this study was 78, with individuals ranging in age from 19 to
73 (M=41.91; S=11.61972); 91% of the participants identified as female; 9% identified as male;
0% of the sample identified as other, although that was an option on the survey. The majority
of the participants were married (79.5%), followed by never married (11.5%), widowed (3%), and,
finally, separated or divorced (2.6% each). h
The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not an inverse relationship exists
between intrinsic spirituality and perceived stress. As shown in Table 1, a Pearson’s r correlation
revealed a non-significant relationship r (76) = -0.122, p = 0.144, R2 = 0.01 (one-tailed). The null
hypothesis is retained. Higher degrees of intrinsic spirituality are not associated with lower levels
of perceived stress (see Figure 1). h h
Table 1
Correlation of Intrinsic Spirituality and Perceived Stress
Intrinsic
Spirituality
Perceived
Stress
Intrinsic
Spirituality
Pearson
Correlation
1
-.122
Sig. (1-tailed)
.144
N
78
78
Perceived Stress
Pearson
Correlation
-.122
1
Sig. (1-tailed)
.144
N
78
78
Figure 1
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Scatterplot Depicting the Correlation Between Intrinsic Spirituality and Perceived Stress
Note. Intrinsic spirituality (M=7.4060, S=2.25896) was scored 0-10 and perceived stress
(M=26.5769, S=8.77647) was scored 0-56, with higher scores indicating a greater degree of each
variable. h
Discussion
The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between intrinsic spirituality and
perceived stress. By operationally defining intrinsic spirituality as a unique construct, the
objective was to distinguish spirituality from religiosity, assessing it as an isolated variable. The
sample population was intended to be representative of the general American public. It was
proposed that intrinsic spirituality and perceived stress are negatively correlated, which would
support the idea of intrinsic spirituality as a possible protective factor against high levels of
perceived stress. However, the findings did not support the hypothesis. Higher intrinsic
spirituality scores were not associated with lower perceived stress scores.
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There were numerous limitations in this study, including the sampling method,
characteristics of the sample, and the testing instruments used. The sampling method precluded
certain people from participating in the study. The survey was distributed via social media,
limiting participation to those with both internet access and social media accounts (Facebook or
Instagram). Furthermore, the survey link was only active for one weekday, from the hours of
10:00am to 10:00pm, excluding participation by those whose weekday obligations (e.g., work,
family, or school) prevented them from accessing or completing the survey during that time
period. Although the survey was made available to the public through the adjustment of privacy
settings, because it was posted on a personal social media account, it is likely that the majority
of participants were friends or followers of the researcher, possibly resulting in an
overrepresentation of certain demographics (i.e., residents of the southeastern United States,
Caucasians, or Christians) and an underrepresentation of others (i.e., residents of northern and
western regions of the United States, people of color, or individuals from diverse religious
backgrounds). This demographic information was not collected and, therefore, represents a
potential limitation in the sampling method. However, the demographic data that was collected
suggests a limitation in the characteristics of the sample population.
Women represented an overwhelming majority of the sample (91%), as did married
participants (79.5%). For the purposes of our study, married included common law marriage. The
United States Census Bureau (USCB) estimates that 50% of Americans are married, with an
additional 8% cohabitating with a partner; data indicates that 50.8% of Americans identify as
female (USCB, 2022). Chi Square Goodness of Fit tests were used to examine whether the
gender and marital status of participants in this study were similar to nationally reported rates.
They differed significantly x2(1, N=78)=50.843, p <.001, 𝜙=0.81 (gender) and x2(1, N=78)=14.783,
p<.001, 𝜙=0.44 (marital status). As shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, the sample consisted of
INTRINSIC SPIRITUALITY & PERCEIVED STRESS h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h
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significantly more women and more married individuals than the nationally reported rates,
suggesting that the sample is not an accurate representation of the general American public. In
addition, the scores for intrinsic spirituality are skewed (-1.374). With a mean of 7.40, a median
of 8, and a mode of 9, individuals with little to no intrinsic spirituality are not adequately
represented in this sample. Likewise, although the perceived stress scores are relatively
symmetrical (0.043), individuals with high levels and low levels of perceived stress are
underrepresented (M=26.58, MED=26, MODE=19). h h h h h h h h
Figure 2
Bar Graph Depicting Gender of Participants
Figure 3
Bar Graph Depicting Marital Status of Participants
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Finally, there are limitations related to the testing instruments themselves. Both the
Intrinsic Spirituality Scale (Hodge, 2003) and the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen & Mermelstein,
1983) are instruments that rely on the subjectivity of self-assessment, as well as participants’
interpretation of abstract constructs and questions. Furthermore, they each utilize Likert scale
responses, which have been challenged in terms of reliability and validity (Louangrath, 2018).
The findings of this study partially contradict those of Reutter and Bigatti (2014), who
found that higher levels of intrinsic spirituality were associated with lower levels of perceived
stress, as well as more favorable psychological outcomes. Though the Perceived Stress Scale
(Hodge, 2003) was used in the aforementioned study, a different instrument was used to
evaluate intrinsic spirituality, the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (Underwood, 2011), which
could account for the incongruous results. While the current study did not explore the
relationship between intrinsic spirituality and psychological outcomes, a similar study of 348
psychiatric patients suggests that intrinsic spirituality serves as a moderating factor over the
course of time, as opposed to being associated with one’s perception of stress at the onset of
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the stressor (Lorenz, Doherty, & Casey, 2019). Although these results were obtained in a
different sample population, they are supported by the current findings, as are the results of a
recent study of pharmacology students, which found that intrinsic spirituality and perceived
stress are not significantly correlated (Aftab et al., 2018). Finally, Werdel et al. (2014) found that
individuals with both low levels of perceived stress and high degrees of intrinsic spirituality were
more likely to experience growth following a highly stressful experience. The Faith Maturity Scale
(Benson et al., 1993) was used to evaluate intrinsic spirituality and the instrument used to
measure stress was the same (Hodge, 2003). The Werdel et al. (2014) study does not contradict
the current findings outright, because the relationship between intrinsic spirituality and perceived
stress was not explicitly examined, but, unlike the current study, these findings do suggest that
intrinsic spiritualty does impact stress in some manner.
Stress is an undeniable part of life and the way that it is handled can have immediate
and long term repercussions, biologically, psychologically, and behaviorally (Boyce & Ellis, 2005;
Lupien et al., 2009). One’s perception of stress, to some degree, affects his or her ability to
cope with it favorably (Ruetter & Bigatti, 2014). In the field of mental health, understanding the
variables that influence perceived stress has important implications for practitioners seeking to
promote resiliency in the populations with whom they work. Given that intrinsic spirituality is
generally associated with positive outcomes (Schwalm et al., 2021), the current study aimed to
demonstrate a relationship between high levels of intrinsic spirituality and low levels of
perceived stress. Because the analysis did not reveal a significant relationship, further
investigation is needed to understand both the role of intrinsic spirituality in coping with stress
and the factors that contribute to one’s perception of stress.
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The current study provides ample implications for future studies that could build on
these results. Including participants with more extreme perceived stress scores (>40 and <10), as
well as participants with lower intrinsic spirituality scores (<5), both of which this study lacked,
could yield a more informative set of data. Furthermore, the addition of a valid and reliable
assessment used to measure general psychological health and well-being, at the onset of the
study, with follow-up testing at 3, 6, and 12 months, could offer insight into the role of intrinsic
spirituality throughout the life of a stressor, from onset to resolution. The findings of such a
study could better equip practitioners to support their clients in leveraging, developing, and
strengthening their resources, including spirituality, to more effectively cope with stress. h h h
h
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