Ruth Powell
Biographic Data
| ID | 3797691 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ruth Powell |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ruth |
| FAMILY NAME | Powell |
| SIGNATURE | POWELL R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Australian Catholic University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9555-6962 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 6 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 19 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1933 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Immigration and parental transmission of church attendance in Australia
Recent studies suggest intergenerational religious transmission varies in migrant communities depending on the status of religion in the countries of origin and destination. This article examines whether the children of churchgoing Asian-born migrants living in Australia were more likely to attend church than their counterparts from Australian-born families or European/North American migrant families. Data on 108,933 children were derived from th…
Religious Switching in Australia
Recent Australian census data (2006–2021) indicate that identification with religion continues to decline across Australia’s population. This is particularly seen among Christian adherents. To understand this phenomenon, religious switching needs to be considered in addition to migration, birth and mortality. This article uses the recently released Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (ACLD) to provide important insights into religious switchin…
The Impact of Marriage Norms and Gender on Anglican Clergy Actions in Response to Domestic Violence
Domestic violence (DV) is a gendered issue, with women more likely to be victim/survivors and men more likely to perpetrate abuse. With a strong emphasis on protecting the safety of women and children, the ways in which faith-based communities and leaders engage DV has come under scrutiny. Clergy are potential responders to DV and shape cultural contexts in which DV occurs. Yet, how religious norms relate to actions taken when clergy respond to D…
Domestic and Family Violence: Responses and Approaches across the Australian Churches
Domestic and family violence (DFV) is a serious and widespread problem in Australia and across the world, including in faith communities. There are calls for research to assist churches to better recognize, respond to and prevent violence. This study draws on data from the 2016 Australian National Church Life Survey (n = 883 senior local church leaders, n = 1270 churchgoers) to provide the first Australia-wide cross-denominational statistics on C…
Mystical experience and emotional wellbeing: A study among Australian church leaders
The psychological and pathological correlates of mystical experience have been debated since the early days of the psychology of religion. In the present study the association between mystical experience and emotional wellbeing was tested among 1,266 Australian church leaders who completed the Eysenck Neuroticism Scale alongside the Francis-Louden Mystical Orientation Scale. No significant correlation was reported between the two variables
Quest-religious orientation among church leaders in Australia: A function of psychological predisposition or openness to mystical experience
Quest-religious orientation among church leaders signifies a style of leadership committed to religious explorations more than to religious certainties. For this study, we set out to explore the extent to which quest orientation among a sample of 1,265 religious church leaders who participated in the 2011 Australian National Church Life Survey was a function of psychological predisposition, conceptualized in terms of psychological type theory, or…
Social Cohesion in Australia: Comparing Church and Community
In a context of increasing ethnic and religious diversity, Australia's future prosperity may depend, in part, on the ability to maintain social cohesion. Drawing on the framework developed by the Scanlon Foundation Social Cohesion Research Program, this study examines data from the 2016 National Church Life Survey and the 2016 Australian Community Survey to compare levels of social cohesion among Australian churchgoers and among the general popul…
Assessing peer and parental influence on the religious attitudes and attendance of young churchgoers: Exploring the Australian National Church Life Survey
Drawing on data from the 2011 Australian National Church Life Survey (NCLS), this study was designed to assess peer and parental influence on frequency of church attendance, attitude toward church, and attitude toward Christianity among a sample of 6256 young churchgoers between the ages of eight and 14 years, attending a range of denominations, including Catholic, Anglican, Uniting, Pentecostal, and other Protestant Churches. The data indicated …
Bonding and bridging among first generation Asian migrants in Australian protestant churches
Around a third of Asian migrants to Australia self-identify as Christians, and many join churches where they meet fellow migrants and other Australians. Churches might thus be places that can foster the integration of Asian migrants into Australian society. This paper uses social network and social capital theory to examine the prevalence of bonding and bridging among 61,386 churchgoers from 2135 Protestant churches who completed the Australian N…
Religious experience and religious motivation among Catholic and mainstream Protestant churchgoers in Australia: Testing and applying five short measures
The present study draws on two sets of theories developed within the psychology of religion (concerning religious experience and religious motivation) to test three six-item measures of religious orientation (intrinsic, extrinsic, and quest) and to develop two seven-item measures of religious experience (mystical and charismatic) among Catholic (N = 626) and Mainstream Protestant (N = 505) churchgoers participating in the 2011 Australian National…
Psychological type profile of Protestant church leaders in Australia: Are clergymen and clergywomen different
A sample of 120 clergywomen and 436 clergymen from Protestant denominations in Australia participated in the 2011 National Church Life Survey completing form LS2 that included the Francis Psychological Type Scales, an operationalisation of psychological type theory. The type profiles of the clergymen and clergywomen are compared, and demonstrate only one difference, clergywomen are significantly more likely to report a feeling preference than cle…
The psychological type profile of Christians participating in fellowship groups or in small study groups: Insights from the Australian National Church Life Survey
The Australian National Church Life Survey draws on psychological type theory to facilitate insights into the connection between individual psychological profiles and preferences for different religious expressions. Drawing on data provided by 2355 participants in the 2006 congregation survey, this analysis profiles those members of church congregations who are drawn to participation in small prayer, discussion or Bible study groups, or to partic…
Methodological overview of the study of well-being through the Australian National Church Life Survey
All papers in this special edition of Mental Health, Religion & Culture utilise data sets from the 2011 round of the Australian National Church Life Survey (NCLS). This paper presents a methodological overview of the NCLS, including data collection methods, survey instruments and demographic descriptions of church attender and leader data sets. The data sets have good national coverage and denominational diversity, although Pentecostals are under…
The churches and well-being: Perspectives from the Australian National Church Life Survey
Australia is a nation with high levels of recorded well-being. This paper introduces a collection of papers which are concerned with the intersections between well-being and religion in an Australian context. The research is conducted on a religious population, namely Christian church attenders and local church leaders (both clergy and lay) in congregations in the Australian National Church Life Surveys (NCLS), perhaps the largest database on chu…
Subjective well-being, religious involvement, and psychological type among Australian churchgoers
Personality and religiosity have consistently been found to be related to subjective well-being. However, the relative impact of these factors has not been clear. This quantitative study of 1855 church attenders from 20 denominations in the 2011 Australian National Church Life Survey found that their psychological type profile confirmed patterns found in other church-going populations, with high proportions of introverts, sensing types, feeling t…
The psychological-type profile of lay church leaders in Australia
A sample of 845 lay church leaders (444 women and 401 men) from a range of 24 different denominations and movements (including house churches and independent churches) completed the Francis Psychological-Type Scales within the context of the 2006 Australian National Church Life Survey. The psychological-type profiles of these lay church leaders were almost identical to the type profiles of 1527 Australian churchgoers (936 women and 591 men) publi…
Work-related psychological health among clergywomen in Australia
Drawing on the classic model of balanced affect, the Francis Burnout Inventory conceptualises good work-related psychological health among clergy in terms of negative affect being balanced by positive affect. This paper sets out to explore the relationship between work-related psychological health and psychological type (as assessed by the Francis Psychological-Type Scales) among a sample of 212 Australian clergywomen who completed the National C…
Congregational bonding social capital and psychological type: An empirical enquiry among Australian churchgoers
This study explores the variation in levels of bonding social capital experienced by individual churchgoers, drawing on data generated by the Australian National Church Life Survey, and employing a five-item measure of church-related bonding social capital. Data provided by 2065 Australian churchgoers are used to test the thesis that individual differences in bonding social capital are related to a psychological model of psychological types (empl…
The Effect of Long-Continued Unemployment upon Private Child-Caring Agencies in the Chicago Area
Bonding and bridging among first generation Asian migrants in Australian protestant churches
Around a third of Asian migrants to Australia self-identify as Christians, and many join churches where they meet fellow migrants and other Australians. Churches might thus be places that can foster the integration of Asian migrants into Australian society. This paper uses social network and social capital theory to examine the prevalence of bonding and bridging among 61,386 churchgoers from 2135 Protestant churches who completed the Australian N…
Social Cohesion in Australia: Comparing Church and Community
In a context of increasing ethnic and religious diversity, Australia's future prosperity may depend, in part, on the ability to maintain social cohesion. Drawing on the framework developed by the Scanlon Foundation Social Cohesion Research Program, this study examines data from the 2016 National Church Life Survey and the 2016 Australian Community Survey to compare levels of social cohesion among Australian churchgoers and among the general popul…
The Effect of Long-Continued Unemployment upon Private Child-Caring Agencies in the Chicago Area
The psychological-type profile of lay church leaders in Australia
A sample of 845 lay church leaders (444 women and 401 men) from a range of 24 different denominations and movements (including house churches and independent churches) completed the Francis Psychological-Type Scales within the context of the 2006 Australian National Church Life Survey. The psychological-type profiles of these lay church leaders were almost identical to the type profiles of 1527 Australian churchgoers (936 women and 591 men) publi…
Work-related psychological health among clergywomen in Australia
Drawing on the classic model of balanced affect, the Francis Burnout Inventory conceptualises good work-related psychological health among clergy in terms of negative affect being balanced by positive affect. This paper sets out to explore the relationship between work-related psychological health and psychological type (as assessed by the Francis Psychological-Type Scales) among a sample of 212 Australian clergywomen who completed the National C…
Congregational bonding social capital and psychological type: An empirical enquiry among Australian churchgoers
This study explores the variation in levels of bonding social capital experienced by individual churchgoers, drawing on data generated by the Australian National Church Life Survey, and employing a five-item measure of church-related bonding social capital. Data provided by 2065 Australian churchgoers are used to test the thesis that individual differences in bonding social capital are related to a psychological model of psychological types (empl…
Psychological type profile of Protestant church leaders in Australia: Are clergymen and clergywomen different
A sample of 120 clergywomen and 436 clergymen from Protestant denominations in Australia participated in the 2011 National Church Life Survey completing form LS2 that included the Francis Psychological Type Scales, an operationalisation of psychological type theory. The type profiles of the clergymen and clergywomen are compared, and demonstrate only one difference, clergywomen are significantly more likely to report a feeling preference than cle…
The psychological type profile of Christians participating in fellowship groups or in small study groups: Insights from the Australian National Church Life Survey
The Australian National Church Life Survey draws on psychological type theory to facilitate insights into the connection between individual psychological profiles and preferences for different religious expressions. Drawing on data provided by 2355 participants in the 2006 congregation survey, this analysis profiles those members of church congregations who are drawn to participation in small prayer, discussion or Bible study groups, or to partic…
Methodological overview of the study of well-being through the Australian National Church Life Survey
All papers in this special edition of Mental Health, Religion & Culture utilise data sets from the 2011 round of the Australian National Church Life Survey (NCLS). This paper presents a methodological overview of the NCLS, including data collection methods, survey instruments and demographic descriptions of church attender and leader data sets. The data sets have good national coverage and denominational diversity, although Pentecostals are under…
The churches and well-being: Perspectives from the Australian National Church Life Survey
Australia is a nation with high levels of recorded well-being. This paper introduces a collection of papers which are concerned with the intersections between well-being and religion in an Australian context. The research is conducted on a religious population, namely Christian church attenders and local church leaders (both clergy and lay) in congregations in the Australian National Church Life Surveys (NCLS), perhaps the largest database on chu…
Subjective well-being, religious involvement, and psychological type among Australian churchgoers
Personality and religiosity have consistently been found to be related to subjective well-being. However, the relative impact of these factors has not been clear. This quantitative study of 1855 church attenders from 20 denominations in the 2011 Australian National Church Life Survey found that their psychological type profile confirmed patterns found in other church-going populations, with high proportions of introverts, sensing types, feeling t…
Religious experience and religious motivation among Catholic and mainstream Protestant churchgoers in Australia: Testing and applying five short measures
The present study draws on two sets of theories developed within the psychology of religion (concerning religious experience and religious motivation) to test three six-item measures of religious orientation (intrinsic, extrinsic, and quest) and to develop two seven-item measures of religious experience (mystical and charismatic) among Catholic (N = 626) and Mainstream Protestant (N = 505) churchgoers participating in the 2011 Australian National…
Bonding and bridging among first generation Asian migrants in Australian protestant churches
Around a third of Asian migrants to Australia self-identify as Christians, and many join churches where they meet fellow migrants and other Australians. Churches might thus be places that can foster the integration of Asian migrants into Australian society. This paper uses social network and social capital theory to examine the prevalence of bonding and bridging among 61,386 churchgoers from 2135 Protestant churches who completed the Australian N…
Assessing peer and parental influence on the religious attitudes and attendance of young churchgoers: Exploring the Australian National Church Life Survey
Drawing on data from the 2011 Australian National Church Life Survey (NCLS), this study was designed to assess peer and parental influence on frequency of church attendance, attitude toward church, and attitude toward Christianity among a sample of 6256 young churchgoers between the ages of eight and 14 years, attending a range of denominations, including Catholic, Anglican, Uniting, Pentecostal, and other Protestant Churches. The data indicated …
Quest-religious orientation among church leaders in Australia: A function of psychological predisposition or openness to mystical experience
Quest-religious orientation among church leaders signifies a style of leadership committed to religious explorations more than to religious certainties. For this study, we set out to explore the extent to which quest orientation among a sample of 1,265 religious church leaders who participated in the 2011 Australian National Church Life Survey was a function of psychological predisposition, conceptualized in terms of psychological type theory, or…
Social Cohesion in Australia: Comparing Church and Community
In a context of increasing ethnic and religious diversity, Australia's future prosperity may depend, in part, on the ability to maintain social cohesion. Drawing on the framework developed by the Scanlon Foundation Social Cohesion Research Program, this study examines data from the 2016 National Church Life Survey and the 2016 Australian Community Survey to compare levels of social cohesion among Australian churchgoers and among the general popul…
Mystical experience and emotional wellbeing: A study among Australian church leaders
The psychological and pathological correlates of mystical experience have been debated since the early days of the psychology of religion. In the present study the association between mystical experience and emotional wellbeing was tested among 1,266 Australian church leaders who completed the Eysenck Neuroticism Scale alongside the Francis-Louden Mystical Orientation Scale. No significant correlation was reported between the two variables
Domestic and Family Violence: Responses and Approaches across the Australian Churches
Domestic and family violence (DFV) is a serious and widespread problem in Australia and across the world, including in faith communities. There are calls for research to assist churches to better recognize, respond to and prevent violence. This study draws on data from the 2016 Australian National Church Life Survey (n = 883 senior local church leaders, n = 1270 churchgoers) to provide the first Australia-wide cross-denominational statistics on C…
The Impact of Marriage Norms and Gender on Anglican Clergy Actions in Response to Domestic Violence
Domestic violence (DV) is a gendered issue, with women more likely to be victim/survivors and men more likely to perpetrate abuse. With a strong emphasis on protecting the safety of women and children, the ways in which faith-based communities and leaders engage DV has come under scrutiny. Clergy are potential responders to DV and shape cultural contexts in which DV occurs. Yet, how religious norms relate to actions taken when clergy respond to D…
Immigration and parental transmission of church attendance in Australia
Recent studies suggest intergenerational religious transmission varies in migrant communities depending on the status of religion in the countries of origin and destination. This article examines whether the children of churchgoing Asian-born migrants living in Australia were more likely to attend church than their counterparts from Australian-born families or European/North American migrant families. Data on 108,933 children were derived from th…
Religious Switching in Australia
Recent Australian census data (2006–2021) indicate that identification with religion continues to decline across Australia’s population. This is particularly seen among Christian adherents. To understand this phenomenon, religious switching needs to be considered in addition to migration, birth and mortality. This article uses the recently released Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (ACLD) to provide important insights into religious switchin…
Psychology (16 works) · Social Psychology (15 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (13 works) · Sociology (12 works) · Political science (8 works) · Law (7 works) · Protestantism (6 works) · Religion, Society, and Development (6 works) · Religious studies (6 works) · Gender Studies (5 works)