Parent-child dynamics and emerging adult religiosity: Attachment, parental beliefs, and faith support.

Abstract

Parental religiosity has been shown to predict child and adolescent religiosity, but the role of parents in emerging adult religiosity is largely unknown. We explored associations among emerging adult religiosity, perceived parental religiosity, perceived similarity to mother's and to father's religious beliefs, parental faith support, and parental attachment. Participants were 481 alumni of two Christian colleges and completed surveys online. Emerging adult religiosity (measured by Christian orthodoxy and intrinsic religiosity) was high and similar to parents' religiosity. Perceived similarity to parents' religious beliefs, faith support, and attachment to fathers predicted emerging adult religiosity. However, parental religiosity alone was a weak predictor and functioned as a negative suppressor variable when combined with similarity to parents' beliefs and faith support. Findings underscore the importance of parental support and parent-child relationship dynamics more than the level of parental religiosity and point to possibly unique roles for mothers and fathers in emerging adult religiosity.

Religiosity, Developmental Context, and Sexual Shame in Pornography Users: A Serial Mediation Model

“…In sum, we hypothesize that the Religiosity-Moral Disapproval-Perceived Compulsivity mediation model will be consistent with the most recent research , that Childhood Household Religiosity will be predictive of current Religiosity (Leonard et al, 2012;Martin et al, 2003;Petts, 2015), and that Childhood Household Religiosity will be predictive of Sexual Shame and that relationship will be mediated by the Religiosity-Moral Disapproval-Perceived Compulsivity sequence.…”

“…Consistent with developmental research on religiosity (Leonard et al, 2012;Martin et al, 2003;Petts, 2015), we hypothesize that Childhood Household Religiosity will be predictive of current Religiosity. This is thought to be due to the profound effect the values of parents have on the values of their children.…”

“…Children internalize faith via observation and education that leads to imitation (Power & McKinney, 2013) and the quality and provision of "capita" as parents transmit beliefs and behaviors through explicit religious training (Petts, 2015). One consistent finding is that in a variety of ways, parental religiosity plays the seminal role in the development of child religiosity (Bao, Whitbeck, Hoyt, & Conger, 1999;Leonard et al, 2012;Limke & Mayfield, 2011;Martin et al, 2003;Power & McKinney, 2013;Vaidyanathan, 2011).…”

“…Many studies show that the faith attitudes and behaviors of parents strongly predict those of their children (Bader & Desmond, 2006;Flor & Knapp, 2001;Heaven, Ciarrochi, & Leeson, 2010;Holden, Bayan, Baruah, & Holland, 2013;Martin, White, & Perlman, 2003;Petts, 2015), and this predictive relationship holds true for both the public and private components of faith (Leonard, Cook, Boyatzis, Kimball, & Flanagan, 2012). Parental religiosity is associated with healthy and unhealthy faith attitudes and practices (Holden et al, 2013;Power & McKinney, 2013).…”

Attachment theory and religious violence: theorizing adult religious psychopathology

“…As a behavioural system, attachment enables one to develop the trust, industry, autonomy, and implicit knowledge to deal with the threats to self that often accompany an identity formation process (Lapsley, Rice & FitzGerald 1990), especially in religious situations. Research on individual differences in adult attachment processes have provided the basis for examining the relationship between lifespan attachment development and religious fundamentalism (Mickelson et al 1997;Leonard et al 2013), showing how followers of a religion can ascribe to an ideology because of the psychological benefits it can afford them in dealing with issues of insecurity in real life. Although most fundamentalist ideologies may be related to religious prejudice and psychological benefits (Brandt & Van Tongeren 2015;Brandt & Renya 2010;Wood, 2010), the extent to which such ideology and benefits are internalised and interpreted based on attachment needs remain unclear.…”