Browsing by Author "FARAH NAZ OASMI"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL RELIGIOSITY SCALE
    (2012) FARAH NAZ OASMI
    The main objective of the present study was to develop a Multidimensional Religiosity Scale (MDRS) and establish its psychometric properties in order to measure the religious orientations of Muslims. Initially a list of 280 items was generated from three different sources, namely, the Holy Quran, Muzamin-ul-Quran and operational definitions of a good Muslim provided by religious scholars. Qualitative item analysis was carried out by five judges, including two experts in the field of Islamic Studies and three clinical psychologists. During this process, the number of items was reduced to 198 that coveprlanil first draft of MDRS. All the items were converted into a 5-point rating scale. The first draft of MDRS was administered on 671 adults (289 men; 382 women). The data was subjected to principal factor analysis. Consequently, the number of items was reduced to 175 that comprised second draft of MDRS. To determine the number of factors, a varimax rotation of the principal factors was done. As a result, seven factors were identified and labeled on the basis of their content. These factors explain 30.008 percent of the total variance and were named as: Individualistic Devotion, Tolerance towards Life Issues, Conviction, Subjective Righteousness, Social Orientation, Optimal Religious Functioning, Attitudes and Beliefs. To determine psychometric properties of MDRS, the second draft test consisting of 175 items was administered on a new sample of 500 individuals (male=250; female=250) selected randomly from Muslim population. These respondents belonged to different professional groups ranging in age from 25 to 65 years. Their qualification ranged from SSC to M.A. /professional degree, item-total correlations were computed. To determine internal consistency of MDRS, item_ total correlations were computed. The results revealed that all items comprising the new scale bear significant positive correlation with total score on the test, ranging from .29 to .89. Higher score on MDRS indicates higher level of religiosity. Cronbach's Alpha Reliability estimates were computed for sub scales as well as total score on MDRS. The data demonstrated that all the sub scales as well as the full scale are reliable and valid, instruments that can be used for assessment of religious orientation of Pakistani Muslims. Finally, the relationship between demographic variables, religiosity and psychological well being was investigated. The research findings revealed that there was a positive relationship between religiosity and psychological well being revealing that respondents having higher religious orientation exhibited higher psychological well being. These results suggest that religion plays an important role in mental health of an individual. The newly developed religiosity scale (MDRS) seems to be a valid and reliable tool for the measurement of religiosity for Muslim population.