Under the leadership of Üsküdar University Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, a comprehensive study was conducted across Turkey to measure the extent to which spiritual values are incorporated into family life. According to the results of the research conducted with 1,476 volunteer participants across Turkey, it is observed that as daily social media usage time increases, the level of spiritual life decreases. Accordingly, it was found that those who use social media for less than 1 hour have the highest level of spiritual life, while those who use it for 4 hours or more have the lowest.
In the realization of the research conducted nationwide in Turkey under the leadership of Üsküdar University Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Faculty of Communication, New Media and Journalism Lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Tutgun Ünal also took part. This research aimed to measure the extent to which spiritual values are incorporated into family life.
The research was conducted with 1,476 volunteer participants across Turkey
With the aim of developing Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan's 'Üsküdar Family Spiritual Life Scale' and obtaining initial results through its use, a study was conducted with 1,476 volunteer participants across Turkey. This scale aimed to measure the extent to which spiritual values are incorporated into family life.
Family plays a vital role in laying the foundation for a child's values education. In this regard, the development of the 'Family Spiritual Life Scale,' conducting research, and drawing attention to the subject were deemed important.
The age range of participants in the study was 18 to 72, with an average age of 37
As a result of validity and reliability studies, a valid and reliable scale consisting of 39 items and 4 dimensions (Family Environment, Behavior, Religious Education, Discipline) emerged. Thus, spiritual values in the family could be measured with items under the Family Environment, Behavior, Religious Education, and Discipline dimensions of the scale. The scale included various items covering consultation, equality, autonomy, fairness, love, respect, trust, sharing, and material and spiritual gains. Initial results were obtained by administering the scale to 1,476 participants across Turkey, with an age range of 18 to 72 and an average age of 37.
It was revealed that women attach more importance to compassion and tolerance at home
According to the research results, by gender, women's perception levels were found to be higher than men's in the 'religious education' and 'family environment' dimensions of spiritual life in the family.
According to the family environment dimension, it was revealed that women attach more importance to compassion and tolerance at home. Furthermore, it was found that women consider it important for efforts to be made to solve problems at home, for solutions to problems to be produced through discussion, for love for one another to be shown instead of suppressing emotions, for mutual support in times of distress and sadness, for sacrifices to be made, for others to care when one faces trouble, for the home to have certain rules, and for them to generally feel happy at home.
Women find religious education more necessary than men
During religious education, the scores women received on the scale differed significantly from men's. That is, it was revealed that women's attitudes towards finding religious education necessary and believing it should primarily be given within family life were higher than men's. Additionally, it was found that women showed a higher tendency in conforming to time, working systematically, keeping promises, and explaining good moral characteristics to their children.
Does the level of spiritual life in the family change as social media usage increases?
Another result of the research was that social media usage differentiates the level of spiritual life in the family. Accordingly, as social media usage increases, the level of spiritual life in the family decreases. It was found that those who use social media for less than 1 hour a day have the highest level of spiritual life, while those who use it for 4 hours or more have the lowest.
When the dimensions in the research were examined, it was observed that when daily social media usage exceeded 1 hour, the perception of the family environment decreased. According to the scale items, it was revealed that the importance given to certain values such as problem-solving, compassion, tolerance, happiness, love, respect, and sacrifice, mentioned in the family environment dimension, decreased with social media usage.
With increasing social media usage, teaching children also decreases
Differentiation regarding daily social media usage was also found in the behavior dimension. As daily social media usage increases, attitudes towards certain behavioral education for children decrease. Specifically, daily social media usage of 4-6 hours is accompanied by a decrease in the behavior dimension of spiritual life in the family. With increasing social media usage, behaviors such as teaching children things, enabling the development of their talents, reading to learn about child psychology and acting accordingly, respecting family members when they think differently, encouraging children to make decisions by offering options, giving ideas within the family, playing with children, chatting, and talking were observed to decrease.
As social media usage increases, religious education also decreases to a minimum
In the religious education dimension, when daily social media usage is 4 hours or more, the perception of religious education in the family decreases. When social media is used for 1 hour or less, the perception of spiritual life and religious education in the family remains at a normal level. A decrease is observed when social media is used for 4 hours or more a day. In this context, it can be said that as social media usage increases, the importance given to religious education, religious education in the family, and certain moral behaviors decreases.
Meanwhile, some spiritual values included in Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan's book 'Being a Conscious Family,' published in 2019, and incorporated into the study are as follows:
• Consultation (Conferring): The ability to resolve problems through mutual consultation and participation.
• Equality (Equality): Everyone should be treated equally in terms of responsibilities and engagements such as time, money, and education usage in adhering to internal family rules, in the distribution of freedom and responsibility, and in the use of opportunities.
• Autonomy (Autonomy): Every individual should feel both a sense of belonging to the family and a sense of freedom.
• Fairness (Justice): In the exercise of rights, there should be a distribution that allows everyone to feel in a just environment. Boundaries regarding the rights of parents and children should be defined.
• Love (Love, affection): The warm relationships created by love are the most valuable bond in a family; this emotion nurtures compassion, sacrifice, and empathy.
• Respect (Respect, esteem): Family members must succeed in showing consideration for each other's personal rights.
• Trust (Trusting, confidence): For a sense of loyalty to develop, family members must be sure that they will not harm each other.
• Sharing (Sharing): Family members should have the ethical understanding to be able to give up some of their rights for the benefit of others.
• Material gains (Secular upbringings): The family's gains such as wealth, fame, status, and power contribute to the values that hold them together.
• Spiritual gains (Religious upbringings): The family's perspective on life, events, death, creation, Divine power, patience, humility, and existence adds significant contribution and comforting strength to staying together, especially in times of crisis.