Abstract
Research on parenting has explored a variety of religious factors affecting child-rearing outcomes but has devoted limited attention to supernatural evil. We extend this work by examining the relationship between parents’ belief in supernatural evil and their child-rearing outcomes. We propose that parents with greater belief in supernatural evil practice “supernatural risk management,” and they use parenting orientations more closely associated with obedience and control to counter the potential influence of supernatural antagonists. Using a national survey of Americans with a multi-item index of belief in supernatural evil, we estimate models predicting five parenting outcomes: corporal punishment, using time outs, praising a child instead of disciplining, closely monitoring children, and closely monitoring children’s entertainment intake. We find partial support for our hypothesis as belief in supernatural evil is positively associated with corporal punishment, while negatively associated with believin...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
