Importance of religion and subjective well-being among Italian adolescents: The mediating role of positivity and the moderating role of age

In recent decades, the developmental psychology literature has shown increasing interest in the role of religiosity in positive adolescent development. Nevertheless, most studies have been conducted in the United States and Northern European countries, and little is yet known about the effects of potential mediating and moderating factors on the relationship between adolescent religiosity and subjective well-being. The present study examined the relationships between the importance of religion, affective well-being, and life satisfaction in a sample of Italian adolescents using a longitudinal design covering a 1-year time span. A mediating role of positivity and a moderating role of age were explored. The study involved 993 students, 34% of whom attended middle school (aged 13 to 14 years; 44% female) and 66% of whom attended high school (aged 15 to 19 years; 52% female). Consistent with national data, most participants (92%) were Catholic. The main findings indicated that the importance of religion was directly related to life satisfaction among middle school students and indirectly related to affective well-being and life satisfaction via positivity among high school students. The results are discussed in relation to the sociocultural specificity of the Italian context.