Parental Religiosity Research Articles

Media use as a predictor of young adult religiosity in the context of their identity styles and parental religiosity

The article analyzes the relationship of press and Internet use by young adults or, according to Arnett's approach, those entering adulthood, with their level of religiosity. The context for the correlation studied was the identity styles of the subjects and the religiosity of their parents, or rather the subjects' perceived level of this religiosity expressed as a score on the Huber C-15 Scale. Religiosity can be characterized as a multidimensional structure that includes five representative, common, and relatively autonomous dimensions: experiential, ritualistic, ideological, intellectual, and consequential of religiosity. Young adults often represent a synthetic-conventional faith, which is strongly associated with authority figures and community. At this stage, religiosity is not yet fully internalized, so it fluctuates easily. The greatest influence on the level of religiosity seems to be the parents’ religiosity. At the same time, people representing the discussed age group are among the most engaged users of new media, which may also impinge on their faith. Polish studies proved that containing criticism of the Church and exposing its flaws may have a negative impact on the religiosity of the recipients. The study was conducted using a questionnaire prepared by M. Kutt and tools that have an established position in research practice (Berzonky's Identity Styles Questionnaire and the C-15 Huber Scale). There is a correlations between specific identity styles, perceived religiosity of parents, frequency of media use, interest in specific topics and the level of religiosity of the subjects. Some of the formulated hypotheses were not positively verified. Conclusions: The most important variables explaining the level of religiosity of young adults turned out to be mother's religiosity and normative style (positive correlation), as well as diffusion-union style (negative correlation). The negative correlation between the level of religiosity and interest in current information from the press as well as the Internet seems interesting.

Sexual Risk-Taking in Adolescents; a Narrative Review

A review of recent literature on sexual activity in adolescents revealed a prevalence range of 6-65 % in different countries that may relate to sampling different age groups as well as various types of sexual activity. Many risk factors have been researched including parental factors (e.g. parent risk behavior), peer variables (e.g. peer pressure), religiosity (e.g. spiritual intelligence), mood (e.g. depression), health-related behavior (e.g. sexting), substance use (e.g. marijuana) and physiological markers (e.g. activation of various areas of the brain on fMRI scans). The few interventions have included motivational interviewing by clinician or computer and classroom education and condom distribution. Limitations of this literature include a paucity of longitudinal studies and intervention research.

Does Religious Group Population Share Affect the Religiosity of the Next Generation?

AbstractAre teens more religious when (consistent with “religious monopoly” arguments) they live in an area where many people share their parents’ religious identity? Or are teens more religious when (as religious economies models suggest) they live in areas where their parent's religious identity has a smaller population share (or “market share”)? We examine these questions using Wave 1 of the National Study of Youth and Religion combined with county‐level variables from the 2000 Religious Congregations and Membership Study and the 2000 U.S. Census. Parental religiosity has a huge effect on teen's religiosity, so much so that when parents are very religious, the religious context of the surrounding county does not matter. However, when parents are not very religious, results are consistent with the religious monopolies model but not the religious economies model. The percent of the county in the parents’ religious tradition tends to boost teen's religiosity.

The Influence of Parental Religiosity on the Health of Children during Late Adolescence/Early Adulthood: A Test of Mediation.

The present study explores whether adolescent religiosity, health-related behaviors, and marital stability mediate the association between parental religiosity and health. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult (Add) Health, I model potential direct and indirect effects between three measures of parental religiosity (i.e., parental institutional religiosity, parental personal religiosity, and parental religious affiliation); three sets of mediators indicating adolescent religiosity, health-related behaviors, and marital stability; and self-rated health during late adolescence/early adulthood. Overall, I found that parental institutional religiosity has a direct effect on the self-rated health of children during late adolescence/early adulthood, and that it influences self-rated health by reducing adolescent and parental smoking. I also found evidence for deleterious effects of parental institutional religiosity on health as well. Future research should explore variation in the influence of parental religiosity on self-rated health between various sociodemographic groups and between different stages of the life course.

Beliefs about Unobservable Scientific and Religious Entities are Transmitted via Subtle Linguistic Cues in Parental Testimony

ABSTRACT We explored the role of parental testimony in children’s developing beliefs about the ontological status of typically unobservable phenomena. US parents and their 5- to 7-year-old children (N = 25 dyads) separately rated their confidence in the existence of scientific and religious unobservable entities (e.g., germs, angels), and were invited to engage in an unmoderated dyadic conversation about the entities. Both parents and children were more confident in the existence of the scientific entities compared to the religious entities. Parental religiosity predicted the strength of their belief in the religious entities, and these beliefs were positively associated with their children’s judgments in the domain of religion. We coded parental testimony produced during the unmoderated conversation for a number of subtle linguistic cues that convey their confidence and prevailing beliefs in an entity’s existence. The results revealed consistent cross-domain differences: parents expressed more uncertainty, were more likely to mention variation in people’s beliefs and make explicit claims about the ontological status of the religious, as compared to the scientific entities. However, with increasing religiosity, parents produced fewer cues to uncertainty, mentioned belief variation less often, and were more likely to make claims of endorsement when talking about the religious unobservables. Importantly, the pattern of coded linguistic cues in parental testimony was significantly associated with children’s ontological judgments. The present findings have implications for understanding the socio-cultural mechanisms by which confidence in the existence of invisible agents and processes develops in childhood.

Students’ Attitudes Toward Interfaith Relationships: The Impact of Parents, Religiosity, and Christian Privilege

Dating across religious lines is becoming more common in the United States, especially among young adults, suggesting greater acceptance of interfaith relationships. Although college is a place where young adults encounter diversity, little is known about students’ attitudes toward interfaith dating. Thirty-seven students were divided into five focus group sessions and asked to describe their views, experiences, and apprehensions about interfaith relationships. Key factors influencing students’ attitudes were parental disapproval, religiosity, and Christian privilege. Based on our findings, we provide college educators with recommendations for programs and activities that foster interfaith dialogue and religious literacy among students.

The Relationship between Religiosity of Parents and Children in Catholics � The Role of Parents in Adolescents Religious Practice

This article is based on the “Religion and Human Rights 2,0” research, a survey carried out in Croatia (N = 1286) conducted on high school, Gymnasium, students 17-19 years old. It examines the influence of parents’ religiosity on the religious practice of adolescents among Catholics (N = 1097). There are three dominant questions to be addressed in the article: a) how much and how does the religiosity of their parents influence the religious practice of young people? b) how much does the religiosity of parents affect the specific dimensions of religious practice (the frequency of prayer, the frequency of going to church) of young people? c) does the impact of the parent’s religiosity on the child differ in cases where they are both the same sex and in cases in which they are not? The results, obtained by a series of linear regression analyses show that in a) and b) there is some influence of the religiosity of parents on young people. It is also shown that c) there is a dominant influence of the same-sex parent on the child in this respect (mother-daughter, father-son), while the incentive or compulsion to go to mass shows the effect only in the father-daughter dyad. The findings confirm the importance of parental religiosity for youth religiosity a little bit more for church attendance than for the frequency of prayer. They call for the use of elements of parental religiosity in the research of youth religiosity. They also point to the greater effect of parents’ religious beliefs and the importance they attach to their child’s religiosity than the coercion/incentive to religious practices.

Immigrant parent’s religiosity and the second-generation children’s adaptation

ABSTRACT Drawing on insights from social capital theory, this study empirically examined the association between immigrant parent’s religiosity and the second-generation immigrant children’s adaptation in the United States, which was measured by the second-generation children’s preference of American way of doing things. Applying ordinal regression analysis to data from the Children of Immigrant Longitudinal Study (CILS), this study finds (1) parental religiosity is positively related to their second-generation children’s adaptation; (2) immigrant family’s socialization with people from other different ethnic groups is positively associated with the second-generation children’s adaptation and (3) parental educational level is positively associated with the second-generation immigrant children’s adaptation. These findings highlight the ‘bridging’ role of parental religiosity and the importance of intercultural contacts for the second-generation immigrant children’s positive adaptation.

Fertility decline in the United States, 1850-1930: New Evidence from Complete-Count Datasets.

Between 1835 and 1935, total fertility in the United States fell from 7.0 to 2.1. New IPUMS complete-count microdata databases of the 1850, 1880, 1910, and 1930 U. S. censuses allow us to study the fertility decline in more detail than previously possible. We construct comprehensive models of couples' fertility incorporating a wide variety of economic, social, cultural and familial factors, including measures of parental religiosity and kin availability outside of the household. The results indicate that while shifts in the occupational structure and increasing urbanization of the population provide the most consistent and substantive contribution to fertility decline over the period, cultural and religious attitudes - as proxied by parents' nativities and child naming practices - played a major role in couples' childbearing decisions.

Connection between Parent–Child Religiosity: Moderated Mediation by Perceived Maternal and Paternal Warmth and Overprotection and Emerging Adult Gender

Previous research has shown a strong connection between parental religiosity and parenting behaviors in the transmission of religion from parent to child. Our study expanded upon previous research by examining how perceived maternal and paternal warmth and overprotection mediated the relation between parental and personal religiosity in males and females. A sample of 486 emerging adults reported maternal, paternal, and personal religiosity as well as their parents’ parenting behaviors. Results indicated that perceived paternal warmth served as a mediator for males only but neither perceived maternal nor paternal overprotection mediated the relationship between parental religiosity and emerging adult religiosity. Gender moderated the paths from perceived paternal religiosity to paternal overprotection, such that the relationship was stronger for females, and perceived paternal warmth to emerging adult religiosity, such that the relationship was stronger for males. Overall, results demonstrated that mediation effects occurred for males only, suggesting moderated mediation.

The relationship between parental religiosity and school age children's dietary behavior in Ningxia Province, China: A cross-sectional study.

Studies have shown parental religious involvement was associated with better health behaviors of their children. However, the relationship between parental religiosity and child dietary behaviors remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the relationship between parental religious involvement and the dietary behaviors of school-aged children in mainland, China. Participants were selected from a northwest province of China using a multi-stage sampling process from July 2017 to October 2017. The frequency of parental religious activities and the importance of religion in life, along with the dietary behaviors of children, were collected using a questionnaire. Dietary pattern analysis coupled with multivariable linear regression was employed to test the association between parental religious involvement and children's dietary behavior. The regression model indicated no significant relationship between parental religious behaviors and children's dietary behaviors in the overall sample. However, the frequency of mother's religious attendance was inversely related to children's consumption of vegetables (β = -0.40, P < 0.05) in the Hui subsample (vs. Han) when stratifying analyses by ethnicity. These findings suggest among those of Hui ethnicity, parental religious involvement may impact children's dietary behavior in a way that may affect their future health habits.

The Association between Parental Religiosity, Stressful Life Events, and Problem Behavior in Pre-Adolescents and Adolescents

Objective: To investigate whether religiosity influences exposure to stressful life events (SLEs) and whether religiosity moderates the effects of SLEs, resulting in fewer problem behaviors. Method: The self-reported mental health problems of a community-based longitudinal sample of pre-adolescents (n = 2230) in the three northern provinces of the Netherlands were assessed in early adolescence (12-15 years, Youth Self-Report, YSR) and in adolescence (18-21 years, Adult Self Report ASR). The sum scores for SLEs in early adolescence were based on the previous two years. The variable parental religiosity was based on information obtained in pre-adolescence (10-12 years). Associations between religiosity and SLEs and whether parental religiosity is a moderator between SLEs and problem behaviors were studied, using repeated measures ANOVAs. Results: Having actively religious parents was associated with fewer SLEs. Parental religiosity did not moderate the association between SLEs and problem behavior. Conclusions: The children of actively religious parents experienced fewer SLEs in pre-adolescence than did the children of non-religious parents or the children of parents with incompatible religious beliefs, but parental religiosity did not moderate the effects of SLEs on problem behaviors. Reasons for the absence of a religious coping effect are discussed.

Adolescents' compulsive sexual behavior: The role of parental competence, parents' psychopathology, and quality of parent-child communication about sex.

Background and aimsCompulsive sexual behavior (CSB) has implications for clinical and non-clinical adult populations. Disposition to CSB has been shown to influence adolescence sexual behaviors, but the development of adolescents’ disposition toward CSB has yet to be examined in the family context. In this study, we investigated whether parent–adolescent communication mediates the links between parental characteristics and adolescents’ CSB.MethodsThe sample included 275 Israeli families [triad of mothers (age = 34–63 years, M = 45.48, SD = 5.46), fathers (age = 36–83 years, M = 48.33, SD = 6.63), and one adolescent (48.2% boys, 51.1% girls; age = 14–18 years, M = 16.23, SD = 1.18)]. Parents completed measures of psychopathology, parental self-esteem, and parental self-efficacy, and adolescents completed measures of quality of sex-related communication and CSB.ResultsThe results indicate that, for girls, higher maternal self-esteem and lower psychopathology were linked with better sex-related communication and so with lower CSB. For boys, only parental religiosity was linked with the quality of sex-related communication and CSB, with religious parents having better communication than secular ones.DiscussionThe findings provide an opportunity for researchers to gain a better insight into the dynamics of familial factors in the development of CSB among adolescents.

Christian ethos secondary schools, parental church attendance and student attitude towards Christianity: exploring connections in England and Wales

ABSTRACT This study employs multi-level linear statistical modelling to examine the power of school-level and individual-level factors to predict individual differences in scores recorded on the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity by 6,036 students (who self-identified as either Christian or no religion) in year-seven, year-eight, year-nine, year-ten, and year-eleven classes within 10 Christian ethos secondary schools. The data demonstrate the complex relationships between school admission policies, parental church attendance (PCA), and the students’ age and sex. Overall PCA emerges as a decisive factor in promoting a positive attitude toward Christianity among students. Christian ethos schools may wish to give greater attention to the importance of parental religiosity in maintaining the Christian ethos of these schools.

The Influence of Parent and Parent–Adolescent Relationship Characteristics on Sexual Trajectories into Adulthood

To examine sexual partner acquisition into young adulthood and to explore what characteristics of the adolescent family context might predict this change, we used growth curve modeling to examine data from a nationally representative sample of adolescents followed longitudinally over 13years through young adulthood (N = 5385). Growth curve modeling allowed us to treat the outcome as a dynamic variable and to examine 10 potential predictors of change while accounting for the nested nature of the data. Six family characteristics emerged as predictors of mean number of partners and rate of partner acquisition, while accounting for three significant adolescent predictors. Living in a single-parent or blended family and general communication about sex predicted higher lifetime number of sexual partners in young adulthood. Parent religiosity, parent disapproval of adolescent engagement in sex, and parent-adolescent connectedness were predictive of lower lifetime number of sexual partners. By following participants into their late twenties and early thirties, we were able to detect changes in the impact of early family factors that are not apparent in studies restricted to adolescents and emerging adults. For example, parent education, parent disapproval, and parent-adolescent connectedness were associated with higher rates of partner acquisition at age 23, but faster deceleration in partner acquisition as time progressed. Communication about negative consequences of sex was not predictive, regardless of whether it was "on time" (before sexual intercourse) or not. These results reveal that parents have significant, and sometimes unexpected, influence on their children's sexual behavior that persists well into adulthood.

Mixed Blessing: The Beneficial and Detrimental Effects of Religion on Child Development among Third-Graders

Previous research has linked parental religiosity to a number of positive developmental characteristics in young children. This study introduces the concept of selective sanctification as a refinement to existing theory and, in doing so, adds to a small but growing body of longitudinal research on this topic. We explore how parents’ religious attendance (for fathers, mothers, and couples) and the household religious environment (parent–child religious discussions, spousal conflicts over religion) influence child development among third-graders. Analyses of longitudinal data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS)-Kindergarten Cohort reveal a mix of salutary (beneficial) and adverse (detrimental) developmental outcomes based on teachers’ ratings and standardized test performance scores. Third-graders’ psychological adjustment and social competence are enhanced by various religious factors, but students’ performance on reading, math, and science tests is hampered by several forms of parental religiosity. We discuss the implications of these findings and suggest several avenues for future research.

Parental Religiosity Reduces Adolescent Suicidality

Religious beliefs can reduce suicidal thinking in adolescents, just as in adults. To determine the influence of parental religiosity on adolescents'

Association of Parent and Offspring Religiosity With Offspring Suicide Ideation and Attempts

Previous studies have shown an inverse association between offspring religiosity and suicidal ideation/attempts, but the association of parent religiosity on offspring suicidal ideation/attempts has not been examined. To examine associations of parent and offspring religiosity with suicide ideation and attempts in offspring. The study is based on offspring (generation 3) from a 3-generation family study at New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, in which generations 2 and 3 were defined as being at high risk or low risk for major depressive disorder because of the presence or absence of major depressive disorder in generation 1. The association between suicidal behaviors (ideation/attempts) and parent and offspring religiosity in generation 3 offspring aged 6 to 18 years (214 offspring from 112 nuclear families) was examined. Parents' psychiatric diagnoses and suicidal behaviors were assessed with the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, and offspring were independently assessed using the child version. Two measures of religiosity were assessed: religious importance and religious attendance. Logistic regressions in the framework of generalized estimation equations were performed to analyze offspring suicidal behaviors while adjusting for sibling correlation and offspring age, sex, and familial depression risk status. Of 214 offspring, 112 (52.3%) were girls. Offspring religious importance was associated with a lower risk for suicidal behavior in girls (odds ratio [OR], 0.48; 95% CI, 0.33-0.70) but not in boys (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.74-1.80) (religiosity by sex interaction, P = .05). Religious attendance was associated with a lower risk for suicidal behavior in girls (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.49-0.84) but not boys (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.69-1.27) (religiosity by sex interaction, P = .17). Parent religious importance was associated with a lower risk for offspring suicidal behavior (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.41-0.91) but not parent religious attendance. When parent and offspring religious importance were considered simultaneously, we found a lower risk associated with parental religious importance (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.39-0.96) independent of offspring importance. These associations were independent of parental depression, marital status, and parental suicide ideation. In this study, parental belief in religious importance was associated with lower risk for suicidal behavior in offspring independent of an offspring's own belief about religious importance and other known parental factors, such as parental depression, suicidal behavior, and divorce.

The Relationship Between Parent and Child Religiosity: Moderation by Perceived Parental Antisocial Problems

ABSTRACTParents influence their children’s religiosity through many factors including parenting practices, parental religiosity, and parental psychopathology. Little research, however, has been conducted on how different parental psychopathologies, such as antisocial problems, affect the relationship between parent and child religiosity. The current study used the Stearns-McKinney Assessment of Religious Traits to measure personal religiosity in emerging adults and asked them to report on the religiosity of their mothers and fathers. Participants reported the antisocial problems of their parents via the Adult Behavior Checklist. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to measure whether perceived parental antisocial problems, parent gender, and participant gender would moderate the relationship between perceived parental and emerging adult religiosity. Results indicated that maternal but not paternal interactions were significant, and gender analyses revealed that the interaction was significant only for females. Specifically, parental antisocial problems were associated with a weaker relationship between parent and child religiosity in the mother–daughter dyad only. Implications are discussed.

Social Context of Iranian Parents with Adolescents: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Introduction: The social context where parents live on affects their behaviors and interactions with their children. The social changes of the Iranian society in recent years have complicated the issues of families with adolescents.Discovering the experiences of parents by considering the cultural and Islamic context of Iran is an important step for the mental health of adolescents. The aim of this study was to specify the social context of parents with adolescents. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was a conventional content analysis that was conducted in Tabriz in 2016. Participants included 13 mothers and 10 fathers with adolescent who were included in the study by purposive sampling. Data collection was done through in-depth interviews and continued until data saturation. Data analysis was carried out using the Graneheim&Lundman approach. Four criteria of Lincoln&Guba were used to provide trustworthiness of the study. Results: The three theme reflect the social context of parents: (1)Living in the future frame with the categories, concerns on the child future and empowering the child regarding future, (2)Challenges of now days, with the categories, social hazards and gap between generations, and (3)Parental Religiosity with the categories, Parents' religious affects, guiding the child toward religion emphasis on the doing religious teachings. Conclusion: Identifying the social context of parents has shown that tree factors of occupational-educational policies, universal advances, and superior beliefs can affect the health of families. So clarifying these issues makes simplify design micro and macro interventions.