Do religious transitions from early to established adulthood predict filial elder‐care norms?

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveThis study employs multiple religious dimensions and a developmental perspective to identify distinct classes of religiosity among young adults in early and middle adulthood, and to describe how transition patterns in religiosity classes are associated with filial elder‐care norms in midlife.BackgroundThere is a broad consensus that religiosity is associated with strong intergenerational ties, including the willingness to provide support and care for older parents. Less is known regarding how transitions in religiosity from early to middle adulthood predict filial eldercare norms in midlife.MethodsThe sample consisted of 365 young adults participating in the Longitudinal Study of Generations in 2000 (mean age = 23 years) and 2016 (mean age = 39 years) waves. We conducted latent class and latent transition analyses to address study aims.ResultsAnalyses indicate three latent classes of religiosity in both 2000 and 2016 waves: strongly religious, weakly religious, and doctrinally religious. Those who remained weakly religious and who declined in religiosity between 2000 and 2016 held weaker filial elder‐care norms in 2016 compared to those who remained strongly religious.ConclusionOur findings add a developmental perspective to the literature on religion and filial norms and suggest that trends toward irreligion and increased secularly may portend weakening responsibility for aging parents among middle‐aged adults.