Intergenerational Religious Participation in Adolescence and Provision of Assistance to Older Mothers

Abstract

Objective: This investigation examined the association between intergenerational religious activities in adolescence and provision of assistance to older mothers up to 45 years later. Background: Guided by perspectives of the life course and intergenerational solidarity, this research tested whether children's early religious participation with mothers predicted the amount of assistance children later provided, whether mothers' disability and widowhood served as moderators of this relationship, and whether any such moderation was mediated by emotional closeness, geographic proximity, and eldercare norms. Method: Data were derived from 220 adolescents who participated in the Longitudinal Study of Generations in 1971Generations in and up to four follow-up surveys between 1997Generations in and 2016 person-year observations. Multilevel regression predicted the amount of assistance provided to older mothers as a function of early religious participation with mothers, physical and social vulnerability of mothers, and dimensions of intergenerational solidarity with mothers in later life. Results: The results revealed elevated levels of assistance provided by children who earlier engaged in intermittent and regular religious activities with mothers. The relationship between regular religious activities and assistance was stronger for assistance to widowed mothers than to married mothers, and this moderation was partially mediated by emotional closeness and geographic proximity. Conclusion: This research confirmed that early family conditions structure informal resources available to older parents. Religious socialization during an impressionable period of life produced emergent benefits at a point in the family lifecycle when intergenerational solidarity becomes important for well-being in later life.

Long‐term trends in intergenerational proximity: Evidence from a grandchild design

“…Religion is an important determinant of family solidarity. People who are religious tend to have stronger filial obligations than people who are not, and they also visit their parents more often and exchange more support with family members (Gans et al, 2009 ; Silverstein et al, 2019 ). As a result, one would expect that children and parents who are religious are more likely to live closer to each other than children and parents who are not religious.…”

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

“…Intergenerational ties, in their behavioral, emotional, and normative manifestations, are strongly connected to religiosity (Myers, 2004; Pearce & Axinn, 1998; Stokes & Regnerus, 2009). Most religions emphasize the value of family life and provide arenas for intergenerational family activities, with long‐lasting impacts on intergenerational solidarity and filial responsibility (Silverstein et al, 2019). Previous research shows that by performing religious activities with their children, parents transmit values that emphasize respect and service to older generations, leading to strengthened intergenerational ties in adulthood (Clark et al, 1988; Hoge & Petrillo, 1978; Min et al, 2018).…”

“…However, the transition to established adulthood and accompanying dynamics of value reappraisal and entry into new family roles may alter former commitments to religious life (Barry et al, 2010; Hayward & Krause, 2013). Although studies have explored how religiosity changes through adulthood and across various life transitions (Desmond et al, 2010; Lee et al, 2017; Petts, 2009; Silverstein et al, 2019), little is known about how the development of religiosity in young adulthood relates to filial responsibility, specifically elder care norms, over time. The few existing studies on this topic are limited to cross‐sectional analyses that do not take into account the dynamic and multidimensional nature of religiosity across the demographically dense phase of young adult life (Gans et al, 2009; Goldberg‐Looney et al, 2017).…”

“…In the present study, we examine how life course transitions and changes in religiosity shape filial elder care norms from early adulthood to the period just prior to middle‐age, also known as established adulthood (Mehta et al, 2020). Research shows that religiosity has a positive association with filial elder care norms as a result of intra‐familial socialization processes and religious doctrines that emphasize familistic behaviors and respect for older adults (Gans et al, 2009; Silverstein et al, 2019). Based on these studies, we expect that young adults who maintain strong religious orientations will exhibit stronger filial norms than those who maintain weak religious orientations or exhibit declining religiosity from early to established adulthood.…”

Intergenerational Affectual Solidarity in Biological and Step Relations: The Moderating Role of Religious Similarity

“…Although previous studies have examined the impact of religion on intergenerational relations in intact, nondivorced families, few researchers have explored similar questions regarding the impact of religion on intergenerational relations in stepfamilies. Research has found that adults who engaged in regular religious activities with their mothers in childhood provide more assistance to their mothers later in life (Silverstein, Zuo, Wang, & Bengtson, ), but the role of religion in intergenerational relationships within stepfamilies has not been explored. Therefore, in the present research, we use longitudinal dyadic data over 11 years to examine whether religious congruence between parents and adult children serves as such a mitigating factor.…”