The Contribution of Religiosity and Optimism on Well-Being of Youth and Emerging Adults in Italy

Abstract

In line with Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework positing that religion can provide youth with resources to thrive, this chapter presents a contribution analyzing the associations between religiosity and well-being among middle and late adolescents, and emerging adults in Italy. In fact, this country is a relevant context for studying this topic, considering the social and historical presence of Catholicism. We conceptualized religiosity as religious commitment and well-being as life satisfaction. Then, we focused on the mediating role of optimism between these two constructs and investigated differences among age groups concerning those associations. A multiple-group path analysis revealed a direct invariant link between religious commitment and life satisfaction as well as a significant mediating role of optimism in middle adolescents and emerging adults, but not in late adolescents. Conclusions afford implications about why and how religiosity and optimism may contribute to positive youth development in specific cultural contexts like Italy.