The role of mothers’ and fathers’ religiosity in African American adolescents’ religious beliefs and practices.

Abstract

Objectives To advance understanding of youth religiosity in its sociocultural context, this study examined the associations between parents' and adolescents' religious beliefs and practices and tested the roles of parent and youth gender and youth ethnic identity in these linkages. Methods The sample included 130, two-parent, African American families. Adolescents (49% female) averaged 14.43 years old. Mothers, fathers, and adolescents were interviewed in their homes about their family and personal characteristics, including their religious beliefs. In a series of seven nightly phone calls, adolescents reported on their daily practices , including time spent in religious practices (e.g., attending services, prayer), and parents reported on their time spent in religious practices with their adolescents. Results Findings indicated that mothers' beliefs were linked to the beliefs of sons and daughters, but fathers' beliefs were only associated with the beliefs of sons. Mothers' practices were associated with youths' practices, but the link was stronger when mothers' held moderately strong religious beliefs. Fathers' practices were also linked to youth practices, but the association was stronger for daughters than for sons. Conclusions Findings highlight the understudied role of fathers in African American families, the importance of examining religiosity as a multidimensional construct, and the utility of ethnic homogeneous designs for illuminating the implications of sociocultural factors in the development of African American youth.

Collective ethnic–racial identity and health outcomes among African American youth: Examination of promotive and protective effects.

“…Sample items included on the commitment scale are “I feel good about my cultural or ethnic background,” “I have a lot of pride in my ethnic group,” and “I feel a strong attachment towards my own ethnic group.” Higher scores on the scale are indicative of greater commitment or affirmation of youth’s ethnic-racial group. The subscale had high internal consistency (α = 0.89), similar to other studies among African American youth (Else-Quest & Morse, 2015; Halgunseth, Jensen, Sakuma, & McHale, 2016).…”

Religious Social Support, Discrimination, and Psychiatric Disorders Among Black Adolescents

“…Black adolescents often attend church (or other houses of worship) because their families emphasize attendance as an important part of family life. Halgunseth, Jensen, Sakuma, and McHale (2015) found that parental religious beliefs and practices were significantly associated with adolescents' religious beliefs and practices, for both boys and girls. For some adolescents, religious engagement may not be something that they independently choose to do.…”

“Can I Live”: Black American Adolescent Boys’ Reports of Police Abuse and the Role of Religiosity on Mental Health

“…Halgunseth and colleagues found variation in the significance of religious beliefs and practices of African American parents on their children, with mothers' religious beliefs being linked to the beliefs of both their sons and daughters and found that fathers' religious beliefs were only linked to sons' religious beliefs [94]. However, when taking into account a parent's religious practices, mothers with moderate religious practices was more strongly linked to youth religious practices and fathers' religious practices was stronger for their daughters [94]. This would also aid in unpacking the nuanced meaning of the importance of religion or spirituality in the lives of Black American adolescent boys.…”