Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Religious Commitment and Religious Music Support and Their Role as Predictors of Self-Esteem Among Latinos: An Investigation Using the Religiosity, Spirituality, and Health amongst Latinos Survey

Research has shown that both religious music support (RMS) and religious commitment (RC) have a positive effect on health among older adults. Although their factor structure has been studied among Whites and African Americans, research has been limited among Latinos. Moreover, their role as predictors of self-esteem has also been limited. Thus, our study’s objective was to examine the factor structure of these constructs and to determine whether they are predictors of self-esteem using items from the Religiosity, Spirituality, and Health amongst Latinos Survey (RSHLS). The RSHLS assessed 498 Latino adults in the United States who identified as Christian. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted as well as modification of indices. Also, a chi-squared test and global fit indices of the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) and comparative fit (CFI) were also analyzed. In addition, a full structural equation model was used to explore the relationship between RMS and RC as predictors of self-esteem while controlling for age and annual household income. All analyses used STATA 17. Results of this study showed that the factor structure of RMS and RC matched other demographic groups in the literature and that RC (b = 0.305, p < 0.05) was a significant predictor of self-esteem while controlling for age and annual household income. Moreover, global fit indices of RMSEA (0.039 < 0.05) and CFI (0.989 > 0.95) showed the model was a good fit. Overall, this, study found that the factor structure of RMS and RC among Latinos matched other demographic groups and that RC was a significant predictor of self-esteem while controlling for age and annual household income.