Running Header: CHILDHOOD RELIGIOSITY AND SOCIALIZING VARIABLES 1 1

Mummy Does Not Always Know Best:

Childhood Religiosity and Socializing Variables

Running Header: CHILDHOOD RELIGIOSITY AND SOCIALIZING VARIABLES 2 2

annah M B Nelson

Brigham !oung "ni#ersity

$ A%ril $&'(

Mummy Does Not Always Know Best:

)ord Count: '*'+,

Childhood Religiosity and Socializing Variables

Abstract

This study tested how various aspects of family life affected child religiosity. Data from the Flourishing Families Project, a longitudinal study, was used. The correlation between maternal psychological control, sibling relationships, and child religiosity was tested. There was no significant finding between maternal psychological control and child religiosity, although there was a negative correlation. There was significance between sibling relationships and child religiosity, producing a positive correlation.

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Introduction

Religiosity %ro#ides emotional su%%ort and moral guidance -or -amilies. Religion -osters growth o- %rosocial identities and %romotes healthy de#elo%mental outcomes. /rom birth children begin to de#elo% cogniti#ely* emotionally* and e#en s%iritually. A child0s s%iritual 1ourney starts #ery young and continues to %rogress and e#ol#e throughout adolescence and young adulthood. 2here are se#eral -actors in -amily li-e that contribute to a s%eci-ic child outcome. Childhood religiosity is something that researchers ha#e only s3immed the sur-ace o-. 4t is -ound in %re#ious research that child religiosity is a--ected by %arental choices as well as -amilial structure and shi-ts. 4n this study we will loo3 at how childhood religiosity is s%eci-ically a--ected by maternal %sychological control and sibling relationshi%s. 4t is %redicted that maternal %sychological control will be negati#ely associated with child religiosity. 2his correlation is e5%ected to be moderated by gender* -emales ha#ing a higher association than males. 4t is %redicted that sibling relationshi%s will be %ositi#ely associated with religiosity. Sibling relationshi%s are not e5%ected to be moderated by gender.

Background

Maternal Psychological Control According to Sha--er 6$&&+7* 89sychological control attem%ts to regulate a child0s or an adolescent0s conduct by such %sychological tactics as withholding a--ection and:or inducing shame or guilt;. Mothers can establish rules and e5%ectations -or their -amily* setting a %ositi#e e5am%le -or their children. Mothers0 beha#ioral control can %romote children0s attachment security 6<oe3eMorey* $&'=7.

ibling !elationships Siblings a--ect role>ta3ing* se5ual attitudes* and social>cogniti#e de#elo%ment. Children are more li3ely to learn more when they ha#e an older sibling a#ailable to guide them than when they ha#e access to an e?ually com%etent older %eer 6Sha--er* $&&+7. @lder siblings -eel more oa connection and a res%onsibility to their sibling than other younger children and %ro#ide more detailed instructions and encouragement than older %eers. 2hus* it can be in-erred that siblings matter and that they may %lay a role in each other0s -aith de#elo%ment.

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Methods

2he %artici%ants -or this study were ta3en -rom wa#e A o- the Flourishing Families Project "FFP#* a longitudinal study o- inner>-amily li-e in#ol#ing -amilies with a child between the ages o- '= and 'B.

9artici%ants

2his study used all (C= 6'A' single %arent and ='' two>%arent7 -amilies. Ninety>two %ercent osingle %arents were mothers and BD were -athers.

9rocedure 9artici%ant -amilies -or the //9 were selected -rom a large northwestern city and were inter#iewed during $&&, -or a wa#e ' data sam%le. Subse?uently* -amilies were inter#iewed at yearly inter#als therea-ter* wa#e A data collected in $&''. /amilies were %rimarily recruited using a %urchased national tele%hone sur#ey database 69ol3 Directories:4n-o"SA7. All -amilies with a child between the ages o- '& and '( li#ing within target census tracts were deemed eligible to %artici%ate in the //9. Eligibility and consent were established* inter#iewers made an a%%ointment to come to the -amily0s home to conduct an assessment inter#iew that included #ideo>ta%ed interactions* as well as ?uestionnaires that were com%leted in the home.

Measures Parental Psychological Control. 2he use o- %arental %sychological control was assessed using the 9sychological Control Scale>!outh Sel- Re%ort 6Barber* '++C7. Res%ondents answered how true items were -or each %arent. Sam%le items included: 8my %arent interru%ts me; and 8my %arent will a#oid loo3ing at me when 4 ha#e disa%%ointed her:him.; Res%onses ranged -rom ' 6never7 to A 6very often7 with higher scores indicating a greater degree o- %arental %sychological control.

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ibling !elationship. 2he target child0s relationshi% with one sibling was assessed using an ''>item modi-ied #ersion o- the Sibling Relationshi% 4n#entory 6Sto3er F Mc ale* '++$7. Res%ondents answered how o-ten each item occurred on a A>%oint Gi3ert scale ranging -rom ' 6never7 to A 6always7. Sam%le items included: 8share toys and other things with each other*; and 8share secrets with one another.; 4n most instances* the 9arent ' 69'7 designation %ertains to the mother or mother -igure in the -amily* because she was 8nominated; as the %arent su%%lying the ma1ority o- the caregi#ing.

Results

2hrough S9SS %rogramming* correlations were tested between maternal %sychological control* sibling relationshi%s* and child religiosity. Maternal %sychological control was negati#ely associated with religiosity* rH>.&A'* %I .&A A /isher0s r to z test* zH>.C,* %I.&A* demonstrated that the association was stronger -or boys* rH>.&$&* %I.&A* than girls* rH >.&,A* %I.&A. Sibling relationshi%s were %ositi#ely associated with child religiosity* rH.'=&* %I.&&'* ma3ing these -indings signi-icant. Running a /isher0s r to z test zH >.('* %I.&A* it was -ound that the correlation was stronger -or boys* rH .'AC* 9I.&' and -or girls* rH .'$'* %I .&A. /inally* a /isher0s r to z test was %er-ormed between the -indings o- maternal %sychological control and sibling relationshi%s. A-ter the test* it was -ound that sibling relationshi% had a much stronger relationshi% to child religiosity* zH>=.&(* %I.&&'. Discussion

Maternal %sychological control was negati#ely correlated with child religiosity* meaning the more controlling and restricti#e a mother is* the less li3ely the child is to be religiously in#ol#ed* which su%%orted the original hy%othesis. 4t was -ound that maternal %sychological control a--ects boys more than girls* which was against the original hy%othesis belie- that due to gender e?ui#alence* girls or daughters* would be more a--ected. 2he -indings -or maternal %sychological control did not ha#e a strong correlation and are there-ore not signi-icant. Due to the wea3 correlation* -urther research must be done to see i- maternal %sychological control really a--ects a child0s religiosity le#els. As to sibling relationshi%s and child religiosity* it was %redicted that there would be a %ositi#e correlation* and the results su%%orted our antici%ated hy%othesis. 2here was signi-icant data that showed as sibling relationshi%s increased so did the child0s le#els o- religiosity. A-ter doing a /isher0s r to z test* 6hy%othesized not moderated by gender7 the correlation -or boys was

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slightly strongerJ howe#er both were %ositi#e correlations. /isher0s test -ound that sibling relationshi%s o#erall had more o- an association with religiosity than maternal %sychological control. 2he results -rom this study su%%orted the ma1ority o- what %re#ious research has -ound. Mothers ha#e a strong e--ect on their children and %artici%ate in a crucial time o- children0s li#es. Mothers ha#e the res%onsibility to guide their children* to e5%lain to them li-e0s %ur%oses* and many %eo%le turn to religious belie-s -or those answers. Children loo3 to their siblings to reiterate and con-irm that what their %arents say is true. 2wo limitations that ha#e sur-aced while using this data are one* the age o- the %artici%ants* and two* the initial le#el o- religiosity within each -amily. Because this is data collected -rom a longitudinal study it would be interesting to loo3 at a child0s 8s%iritual 1ourney; -rom the beginning o- the study to the %resent. Also* to com%are a -amily0s s%irituality to the child0s indi#idually. A suggested study -or the -uture would be to see the correlation between maternal attachment and children0s religiosity. ow much does attachment ha#e to do with a child0s s%iritualityK S%irituality and religiosity is a delicate sub1ect to measure due to its %ersonal %ers%ecti#e. As mentioned earlier* -rom birth children begin their s%iritual 1ourney and it can last their whole li-e. /rom this study* the best thing a -amily can do is continually %ro#ide %ositi#e %arental su%%ort* -orm strong morals and #alues as a -amily* and ha#e the elder children set good e5am%les -or the younger to -ollow.

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