Amy M Burdette
Biographic Data
| ID | 120939 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Amy M Burdette |
| GIVEN NAMES | Amy M |
| FAMILY NAME | Burdette |
| SIGNATURE | BURDETTE A M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Florida State University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7013-2066 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 60 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 614 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 60 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 14 |
Religiosity, Telomere Length and Preterm Birth Among Mexican and African American Women in Texas
We conducted a cross sectional study of 175 pregnant women (100 Mexican and 75 African American women) recruited from three prenatal clinics in Central and East Texas. This study explored the relationships between religiosity, telomere length, and preterm birth. Results indicated a significant association between telomere length and birth outcomes, with shorter telomeres observed in preterm births compared to full-term births. Mexican women atten…
Conservative Protestantism and Penis Size: More Evidence Against the Theory of Evangelicalism and Phallocentric Masculine Insecurity
Size Matters? Penis Dissatisfaction and Gun Ownership in America
In this study, we formally examine the association between penis size dissatisfaction and gun ownership in America. The primary hypothesis, derived from the psychosexual theory of gun ownership, asserts that men who are more dissatisfied with the size of their penises will be more likely to personally own guns. To test this hypothesis, we used data collected from the 2023 Masculinity, Sexual Health, and Politics ( MSHAP) survey, a national probab…
(Un)holy Smokes? Religion and Traditional and E-Cigarette Use in the United States
Health Care Stereotype Threat and Sexual and Gender Minority Well-Being
Sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) have experienced progressive change over the last 50 years. However, this group still reports worse health and health care experiences. An innovative survey instrument that applies stereotype threat to the health care setting, health care stereotype threat (HCST), offers a new avenue to examine these disparities. We harmonized two national probability data sets of SGMs-Generations and TransPop-capturing 503 gay…
Do Men and Women Integrate Guns into Risky Health Lifestyles in Young Adulthood
In this paper, we use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and latent class analysis to assess the extent to which individuals integrate guns into broader health lifestyles. We also examine how these new health lifestyles differ for men and women. While men integrate guns with a variety of risk-taking behaviors, including smoking, heavy drinking, risky sexual behavior, and fast-food consumption, women do not. Ou…
Religious Transitions, Sexual Minority Status, and Depressive Symptoms from Adolescence to Early Adulthood
Given that sexual minorities have been historically stigmatized within institutions of religion, they may be less likely to exhibit any health benefits from religious participation. In this article, we use data from Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to test whether the effects of religious affiliation (becoming affiliated with a religious group) and disaffiliation (no longer affiliating with a religio…
Conservative Protestantism, Sexual Insecurity, and Masculine Discrepancy Stress
Are conservative Protestant men especially insecure about their sexual prowess and masculinity? A recent state-level analysis by Perry and Whitehead suggests that they are. In this study, we use national data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey to formally test whether conservative Protestant men are more concerned with their sexual abilities and masculinity than other men. Bivariate and multivariate binary logistic and ordinary leas…
Sexual Dysfunction and Gun Ownership in America: When Hard Data Meet a Limp Theory
Although there has been no direct empirical evidence linking sexual dysfunction (SD) with gun ownership, speculation has been widespread and persistent for decades. In this paper, we formally examine the association between SD and gun ownership. Our primary hypothesis, derived from the psychosexual theory of gun ownership, asserts that men experiencing SD are more likely to personally own guns than other men. To test this hypothesis, we used rece…
When Religion Hurts: Structural Sexism and Health in Religious Congregations
An emerging line of research has begun to document the relationship between structural sexism and health. This work shows that structural sexism-defined as systematic gender inequality in power and resources-within U.S. state-level institutions and within marriages can shape individuals' physical health. In the present study, we use a novel dataset created by linking two nationally representative surveys (the General Social Survey and the Nationa…
Introduction to the Special Issue
Introduction to the Special Issue on 'Guns and Society
Peace through superior firepower: Belief in supernatural evil and attitudes toward gun policy in the United States
Race, Religious Involvement, and Health: The Case of African Americans
Life-Course Religious Attendance and Cognitive Functioning in Later Life
Although several studies suggest that religious attendance is associated with better cognitive functioning in later life, researchers have generally failed to connect with any established life-course perspectives or theories of cognitive aging. Building on previous work, we examine the effects of life-course religious attendance on a range of cognitive functioning outcomes. We employ data from the religious life histories module of the 2016 Healt…
The Blood of Christ Compels Them: State Religiosity and State Population Mobility During the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic
Happiness is a warm gun? Gun ownership and happiness in the United States (1973–2018)
Although there is no empirical evidence linking gun ownership with happiness, speculation is widespread. In this paper, we assess the association between gun ownership and happiness. We use 27 years of national cross-sectional data from the General Social Survey (1973-2018) and logistic regression to model self-rated happiness as a function of gun ownership (n = 37,960). In bivariate and partially adjusted models, we observed that the odds of bei…
Gun Ownership and Life Satisfaction in the United States
Objective Although there is little empirical evidence linking gun ownership with personal well‐being, speculation is widespread in gun culture. In this article, we test whether people who own guns are more or less satisfied with their lives than people who do not own guns. Methods We employ data collected from three national surveys, the Baylor Religion Survey (2014), the Chapman University Survey on American Fears (2014), and the General Social …
Punishing the Wrongdoers: The Effects of Religiosity on Punitive Attitudes toward Adults and Juveniles
This study examines the relationship between religion and attitudes toward punishment. Numerous studies show that these factors are related, but the relationship is complex. Using data from a 2009 telephone survey of 1,207 U.S. adults, we examine how religiosity affects beliefs about punishment for adults and juveniles. Specifically, this study assesses respondents’ views about the purposes of punishment (i.e., deterrence, concern for victims, an…
Religious Attendance and Social Support: Integration or Selection
Although numerous studies have shown that religious attendance is associated with greater social support, concerns remain about selection into religious attendance and more supportive relationships. In this paper, we employ data collected from the 2011 Miami-Dade Health Survey (n = 444) to assess the extent to which the association between religious attendance and social support is due to selection processes related to personality, health behavio…
New Problems for a New Decade: A Note from the New Editor
Gun ownership and fear
Americans can be divided into two groups: those who own guns and those who do not. Although people who own guns and people who do not own guns are often separated along social, cultural, and political lines, it is unclear whether these divisions might extend to population differences in emotional experience. In this paper, we use national cross-sectional data from the 2014 Chapman University Survey on American Fears (n = 1385) to test whether gun…
Religious Attendance and the Social Support Trajectories of Older Mexican Americans
Are Socioeconomic Inequalities in Physical Health Mediated by Embodied Environmental Toxins
Although established theoretical models suggest that socioeconomic inequalities in physical health are partially mediated or explained by exposures to environmental toxins, there is little empirical evidence to support these processes. Building on previous research, we analyze data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2007-2008) to formally test whether associations between socioeconomic status and self-rated physical healt…
Religious Involvement and Substance Use Among Urban Mothers
Although numerous cross-sectional studies suggest that religious involvement is associated with lower rates of substance use, it is unclear whether these protective effects can be observed over time with more rigorous longitudinal designs. In this study, we use longitudinal data from the U.S. Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 3,176) to test whether indicators of religious involvement are protective against illicit drug use and presc…
Conservative Protestantism and Tolerance toward Homosexuals: An Examination of Potential Mechanisms
A number of studies over the years have reported that members of conservative Protestant churches tend to be less tolerant-that is, reluctant to extend civil liberties-vis-à-vis homosexuals. This paper explores several possible explanations for this pattern. In particular, we identify key aspects of conservative Protestant religious values and worldviews that may contribute to this pattern, and relevant hypotheses are tested using data from the 1…
An examination of processes linking perceived neighborhood disorder and obesity
The Couple That Prays Together: Race and Ethnicity, Religion, and Relationship Quality Among Working-Age Adults
A substantial body of research has shown that relationship quality tends to be (a) lower among racial and ethnic minorities and (b) higher among more religious persons and among couples in which partners share common religious affiliations, practices, and beliefs. However, few studies have examined the interplay of race or ethnicity and religion in shaping relationship quality. Our study addresses this gap in the literature using data from the Na…
Blessed assurance: Religion, anxiety, and tranquility among US adults
Are There Religious Variations in Marital Infidelity
Although previous scholarship has examined the relationship between religious involvement and a wide range of family outcomes, the relationship between religion and extramarital sexual behavior remains understudied. The authors investigate how religious affiliation, participation, and biblical beliefs explain differences in self-reported marital infidelity. This study examines data from the 1991-2004 General Social Surveys and finds that religiou…
Religious Change and Adolescent Family Dynamics
Much more has been documented about the influence of religion on parenting practices than on how the former may shape family life from the perspective of adolescents. Building a conceptual model of religion and changing family relations, we assessed the particular influence of adolescent religious change on the dynamics of their relationships with their parents, and overall satisfaction with their families. Employing data from two waves of the Na…
Neighborhood disorder, sleep quality, and psychological distress: Testing a model of structural amplification
Hooking Up' at College: Does Religion Make a Difference
Recent attention from media, scholars, and religious leadership has focused on the dating activities of college students, particularly in relation to casual physical encounters or what some have termed 'hooking up.' In this article, we examine the impact of both individual and institutional religious involvement on 'hooking up' in a national sample of college women (N= 1,000). The results of our analysis reveal several important patterns. First, …
When Religion Hurts: Structural Sexism and Health in Religious Congregations
An emerging line of research has begun to document the relationship between structural sexism and health. This work shows that structural sexism-defined as systematic gender inequality in power and resources-within U.S. state-level institutions and within marriages can shape individuals' physical health. In the present study, we use a novel dataset created by linking two nationally representative surveys (the General Social Survey and the Nationa…
Religious Involvement and Transitions into Adolescent Sexual Activities
Using two waves of data from the National Survey of Youth and Religion (2002, 2005), a national probability sample of 3,290 adolescents ages 13 to 17, we test whether religious involvement (church attendance, religious salience, private religiosity, and family religiosity) is associated with delayed transitions into sexual activities (sexual touching, oral sex, and sexual intercourse). We also consider whether the rate of these transitions varies…
Conservative Protestantism and Attitudes toward Homosexuality: Does Political Orientation Mediate this Relationship
Although several studies show that conservative Protestants are generally opposed to homosexuality, explanations for this association are not well established. Using data from the 1998 General Social Survey, we test whether political orientation mediates the relationship between conservative Protestantism and attitudes toward homosexuality. Results indicate that conservative Protestants are more politically conservative than non-affiliates. We al…
Health Lifestyles in Adolescence and Self-rated Health into Adulthood
Do health behaviors cluster together as health lifestyles in adolescence? Are these lifestyles socially patterned? Do these lifestyles impact physical health into adulthood? To answer these questions, we employed data from Waves 1 and 4 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health ( n = 7,827). Our latent class analysis revealed four health lifestyles: (a) low risk, (b) moderate risk with substance use, (c) moderate risk with …
Religion and Attitudes Toward Physician-Assisted Suicide and Terminal Palliative Care
We assess religious differences in attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide and terminal palliative care, and go further than previous research by attempting to explain these variations. Using data from the 1998 General Social Survey, we fit OLS regression models to estimate the main effects of religious affiliation and indirect effects via religious involvement (church attendance and strength of affiliation). Both conservative and moderate Pr…
Religious Attendance and Cognitive Functioning Among Older Mexican Americans
Research shows that social engagement reduces the probability of cognitive decline in late life. The purpose of this study was to test whether religious attendance, a major source of social engagement for many older individuals, is associated with slower rates of cognitive decline among older Mexican Americans. Using four waves of data collected from a sample of 3,050 older Mexican-origin individuals, we estimated a series of linear growth curve …
Using Census Data in the Classroom to Increase Quantitative Literacy and Promote Critical Sociological Thinking
One useful, but underutilized, strategy to increase quantitative literacy and promote critical sociological thinking is to have students investigate demographic trends in their local community. In this article, the authors describe a project in which students compare and contrast the demographic characteristics of two counties in their state using the 2000 Census Bureau data, formulate specific research questions using the data they have collecte…
Dimensions of religious involvement and leukocyte telomere length
Praying for Mr. Right? Religion, Family Background, and Marital Expectations Among College Women
This study explores the relationship between multiple aspects of religious involvement-affiliation, church attendance, subjective religiosity-and marital expectations among college women. In addition, the authors investigate whether religious involvement mediates the link between family background and marital expectations. These issues are addressed using data from a nationally representative sample of approximately 1,000 college women surveyed i…
Religious Involvement and Attitudes Toward Parenting Among Low-Income Urban Women
The authors employ data from the Welfare, Children, and Families project, a probability sample of 2,402 low-income women with children living in low-income neighborhoods in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio, to test whether religious attendance is associated with parental satisfaction, perceived parental demands, and parental distress over 2 years. They also consider three potential mediators of the association between religious attendance and att…
Peace through superior firepower: Belief in supernatural evil and attitudes toward gun policy in the United States
Belief in Human Sinfulness, Belief in Experiencing Divine Forgiveness, and Psychiatric Symptoms
Many mental health and religious professionals have long argued that belief in human sinfulness is associated with poor mental health. Others argue that the deleterious mental health effects of belief in sinfulness may be buffered by a concomitant belief in divine forgiveness, which may itself have positive mental health benefits. We test these ideas using data from a national survey of US adults ( N = 1629). Our results indicate a positive assoc…
Serving God and Country? Religious Involvement and Military Service Among Young Adult Men
Despite important connections between religion and military action throughout world history, scholars have seldom explored the association between religiosity and military enlistment. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we used a person-oriented analysis to categorize young men according to patterns of adolescent religious involvement. Youth indentified as 'highly religious evangelical' are more like…
Religion, Race, and Othering Barack Obama
The nascent literature on the propensity to endorse conspiratorial views of President Barack Obama suggests that such sentiments may be grounded in racial animus or political partisanship. Yet to date, little attention has been paid to the religious elements that may underlie such claims. We extend the research in this area by using a national survey to assess the relationship between white conservative Protestant affiliation and an inclination t…
Religious Attendance and Biological Functioning: A Multiple Specification Approach
The study confirms that religious attendance is associated with healthier biological functioning in later life. Additional research is needed to verify these patterns with other data sources and to test viable mediators of the association between religious attendance and biological risk
Neighborhood Disorder, Social Support, and Self–Esteem: Evidence from a Sample of Low–income Women Living in Three Cities
Although several studies show that self–esteem varies according to neighborhood context, few have directly examined potential mediators of this association. In this paper, we use longitudinal survey data from the Welfare, Children, and Families project (1999, 2001) to examine the association between perceived neighborhood disorder and self–esteem among low–income urban women with children in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio, testing for city hete…
Household Disrepair and the Mental Health of Low-Income Urban Women
Conservative Protestantism and Attitudes toward Homosexuality: Does Political Orientation Mediate this Relationship
Although several studies show that conservative Protestants are generally opposed to homosexuality, explanations for this association are not well established. Using data from the 1998 General Social Survey, we test whether political orientation mediates the relationship between conservative Protestantism and attitudes toward homosexuality. Results indicate that conservative Protestants are more politically conservative than non-affiliates. We al…
Special Reviewers
Conservative Protestantism and Tolerance toward Homosexuals: An Examination of Potential Mechanisms
A number of studies over the years have reported that members of conservative Protestant churches tend to be less tolerant-that is, reluctant to extend civil liberties-vis-à-vis homosexuals. This paper explores several possible explanations for this pattern. In particular, we identify key aspects of conservative Protestant religious values and worldviews that may contribute to this pattern, and relevant hypotheses are tested using data from the 1…
Religion and Attitudes Toward Physician-Assisted Suicide and Terminal Palliative Care
We assess religious differences in attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide and terminal palliative care, and go further than previous research by attempting to explain these variations. Using data from the 1998 General Social Survey, we fit OLS regression models to estimate the main effects of religious affiliation and indirect effects via religious involvement (church attendance and strength of affiliation). Both conservative and moderate Pr…
Religious attendance and the health behaviors of Texas adults
Religious Attendance and Cognitive Functioning Among Older Mexican Americans
Research shows that social engagement reduces the probability of cognitive decline in late life. The purpose of this study was to test whether religious attendance, a major source of social engagement for many older individuals, is associated with slower rates of cognitive decline among older Mexican Americans. Using four waves of data collected from a sample of 3,050 older Mexican-origin individuals, we estimated a series of linear growth curve …
Religion and Trends in Euthanasia Attitudes among U.S. Adults, 1977–2004
Religious Change and Adolescent Family Dynamics
Much more has been documented about the influence of religion on parenting practices than on how the former may shape family life from the perspective of adolescents. Building a conceptual model of religion and changing family relations, we assessed the particular influence of adolescent religious change on the dynamics of their relationships with their parents, and overall satisfaction with their families. Employing data from two waves of the Na…
Are There Religious Variations in Marital Infidelity
Although previous scholarship has examined the relationship between religious involvement and a wide range of family outcomes, the relationship between religion and extramarital sexual behavior remains understudied. The authors investigate how religious affiliation, participation, and biblical beliefs explain differences in self-reported marital infidelity. This study examines data from the 1991-2004 General Social Surveys and finds that religiou…
An examination of processes linking perceived neighborhood disorder and obesity
Religious Involvement and Attitudes Toward Parenting Among Low-Income Urban Women
The authors employ data from the Welfare, Children, and Families project, a probability sample of 2,402 low-income women with children living in low-income neighborhoods in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio, to test whether religious attendance is associated with parental satisfaction, perceived parental demands, and parental distress over 2 years. They also consider three potential mediators of the association between religious attendance and att…
Neighborhood disorder, sleep quality, and psychological distress: Testing a model of structural amplification
Serving God and Country? Religious Involvement and Military Service Among Young Adult Men
Despite important connections between religion and military action throughout world history, scholars have seldom explored the association between religiosity and military enlistment. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we used a person-oriented analysis to categorize young men according to patterns of adolescent religious involvement. Youth indentified as 'highly religious evangelical' are more like…
Hooking Up' at College: Does Religion Make a Difference
Recent attention from media, scholars, and religious leadership has focused on the dating activities of college students, particularly in relation to casual physical encounters or what some have termed 'hooking up.' In this article, we examine the impact of both individual and institutional religious involvement on 'hooking up' in a national sample of college women (N= 1,000). The results of our analysis reveal several important patterns. First, …
Religious Involvement and Transitions into Adolescent Sexual Activities
Using two waves of data from the National Survey of Youth and Religion (2002, 2005), a national probability sample of 3,290 adolescents ages 13 to 17, we test whether religious involvement (church attendance, religious salience, private religiosity, and family religiosity) is associated with delayed transitions into sexual activities (sexual touching, oral sex, and sexual intercourse). We also consider whether the rate of these transitions varies…
Blessed assurance: Religion, anxiety, and tranquility among US adults
Using Census Data in the Classroom to Increase Quantitative Literacy and Promote Critical Sociological Thinking
One useful, but underutilized, strategy to increase quantitative literacy and promote critical sociological thinking is to have students investigate demographic trends in their local community. In this article, the authors describe a project in which students compare and contrast the demographic characteristics of two counties in their state using the 2000 Census Bureau data, formulate specific research questions using the data they have collecte…
The Couple That Prays Together: Race and Ethnicity, Religion, and Relationship Quality Among Working-Age Adults
A substantial body of research has shown that relationship quality tends to be (a) lower among racial and ethnic minorities and (b) higher among more religious persons and among couples in which partners share common religious affiliations, practices, and beliefs. However, few studies have examined the interplay of race or ethnicity and religion in shaping relationship quality. Our study addresses this gap in the literature using data from the Na…
Household Disrepair and the Mental Health of Low-Income Urban Women
Praying for Mr. Right? Religion, Family Background, and Marital Expectations Among College Women
This study explores the relationship between multiple aspects of religious involvement-affiliation, church attendance, subjective religiosity-and marital expectations among college women. In addition, the authors investigate whether religious involvement mediates the link between family background and marital expectations. These issues are addressed using data from a nationally representative sample of approximately 1,000 college women surveyed i…
Religion and the Sense of Control among U.S. Adults
Despite at least a century of theoretical debate, the relationship between religion and the sense of control has rarely been investigated empirically. This study develops a series of theoretical arguments linking multiple dimensions of religious involvement with the sense of control. Relevant hypotheses are then tested using data from the 1996 NORC General Social Survey. On the one hand, several aspects of religious involvement (attendance at ser…
Maternal Religious Involvement and Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration
Although religious involvement is associated with a number of beneficial health outcomes, few studies have investigated whether religious involvement is associated with breastfeeding behaviors. Our analyses of 2 waves of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 4 166) indicate that mothers who frequently attend religious services are more likely to initiate breastfeeding than are mothers who never attend services. Understandi…
Client Perceptions of Welfare Caseworker Support and Client Mental Health: Longitudinal Evidence from the Welfare, Children, and Families Project
Although some research suggests that welfare caseworker support may improve the mental health of clients, the evidence is largely cross-sectional. Building on previous research, this study uses survey data from the Welfare, Children, and Families Project, a sample of 380 low-income women with children living in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio, to predict psychological distress over 2 years (1999 and 2001) with a multi-item measure of perceived w…
Maternal religious attendance and low birth weight
Religion, Race/Ethnicity, and Perceived Barriers to Marriage among Working-Age Adults
While a great deal of scholarly attention has been focused on correlates and predictors of obstacles to marriage, little attention has been given to the role of religion in predicting self-reported reasons for nonmarriage. This oversight in the literature is surprising, given the recent focus among researchers on the role of religious factors in shaping intimate relationships. Further, few scholars have explored racial/ethnic variations in the as…
Psychology (53 works) · Social Psychology (38 works) · Medicine (37 works) · Sociology (36 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (30 works) · Political science (25 works) · Attendance (18 works) · Psychiatry (17 works) · Religiosity (16 works) · Demography (15 works)