Family Facts: Social Science Research on Family, Society & Religion

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This finding looks at the relationship between fathers' religiousness and the quality of their relationship with their children.

A greater degree of religiousness among fathers was associated with better relationships with their children, greater expectations for positive relationships in the future, investment of thought and effort into their relationships with their children, greater sense of obligation to stay in regular contact with their children, and greater likelihood of providing emotional support and unpaid assistance to their children and grandchildren. Fathers’ religiousness was measured on six dimensions, including the importance of faith, guidance provided by faith, religious attendance, religious identity, denominational affiliation, and belief in the importance of religion for their children.

Sample or Data Description
Data came from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States. The analytic sample consisted of 810 fathers, aged 25 to 74, who had at least one biological child and were either married and in their first marriage or divorced (647 married, 163 divorced) at the time of the survey.

Source
"The Influence of Religion on Fathers' Relationships with Their Children"
King, Valerie
Journal of Marriage and Family Vol. 65, Number 2. May, 2003. Page(s) 382-395.

FindingID: 5258