Abstract
Data from three studies were used for the development and validation of a new inventory called the Spiritual Identity Scale (SIS). In Study 1 a viable factor structure was developed. In Study 2 convergent and divergent validity was established by examining the relationships between spirituality and religiosity. For Study 3, the sample size and lack of age and gender diversity limitations from Studies 1 and 2 were addressed by using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk for participant recruitment, the single-component structure of the SIS was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis, and the moderating properties of the SIS were assessed in relation to coping strategies, the use of social support, and depressive symptomology using structural modeling (SEM). SEM results revealed that the SIS had no direct effect on maladaptive coping strategies in relation to traumatic stress, but did reveal some age and gender differences that should be explored further in future studies.