title: Development of the Sources of Spirituality Scale.
abstract: Most measures of spirituality privilege religious spirituality, but people may experience spirituality in a variety of ways, including a sense of closeness, oneness, or connection with a theistic being, the transcendent (i.e., something outside space and time), oneself, humanity, or nature. The overall purpose of the present 4 studies was to develop the Sources of Spirituality (SOS) Scale to measure these different elements of spirituality. In Study 1, we created items, had them reviewed by experts, and used data from a sample of undergraduates (N = 218) to evaluate factor structure and inform initial measurement revisions. The factor structure replicated well in another sample of undergraduates (N = 200; Study 2), and in a sample of community adults (N = 140; Study 3). In a sample of undergraduates (N = 200; Study 4), we then evaluated evidence of construct validity by examining associations between SOS Scale scores and religious commitment, positive attitudes toward the Sacred, and dispositional connection with nature. Moreover, based on latent profile analyses results, we found 5 distinct patterns of spirituality based on SOS subscales. We consider implications for therapy and relevance of the findings for models of spirituality and future research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, Georgia State University.
authors.forename: Don E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, Georgia State University.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Texas.
authors.forename: Joshua N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Hook
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Hope College.
authors.forename: Daryl R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Van Tongeren
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, Georgia State University.
authors.forename: Cirleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: DeBlaere
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, Georgia State University.
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University.
authors.forename: Everett L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Worthington
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029181:Spirituality; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult