Deconversion Processes and Quality of Life among Polish Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Social Support

ABSTRACT During adolescence, biological, psychological, and social changes naturally propel youth to confront religious matters and form outlooks, moral beliefs, and religious attitudes. However, it is not uncommon for them to manifest changes of affiliation with a religious group or a total removal of all religious expressions within their lives. In Poland, a decline in the level of religiosity of young people has been reported for years. This study aimed to analyze how processes of deconversion affect adolescents’ quality of life. In total, 272 respondents aged between 14 and 18 (M = 15.74, SD = 1.14) participated in the research. The Adolescent Deconversion Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Quality of Life Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents were applied. The results showed that existential emptiness and faith abandonment predicted lower adolescent satisfaction, since they weakened the sense of family support. However, moral criticism predicted higher social integration, because adolescents who criticize moral rules taught by religion had a stronger sense of peer support.