Study: Highly Religious Parents Have Better Behaved Kids*

Researchers found that when parents, especially both, attend religious
services frequently and talk about religion with their children, the
kids had better self-control, social skills and approaches to learning
than kids with non-religious parents.

Wed, Apr. 25, 2007 Posted: 16:53:03 PM EST

Religion can be good for the kids, a new study has found.

Kids whose parents regularly attended religious services and talked with
their kids about religion are better behaved and adjusted than other
children, revealed John Bartkowski, a sociologist at Mississippi State
University, according to LiveScience.

Bartkowski and his colleagues surveyed the parents and teachers of more
than 16,000 kids - mainly first-graders. Kids were rated on self
control, poor or unhappy behavior, and how well they respect and work
with their peers.

The ratings were compared to how frequently the children's parents said
they attended worship services, talked about religion with their kids
and argued about religion in the home.

Researchers found that when parents, especially both, attend religious
services frequently and talk about religion with their children, the
kids had better self-control, social skills and approaches to learning
than kids with non-religious parents.

No comparison, however, could be made among children of different
religious groups such as Protestant kids and Catholic kids and which is
better behaved.

Explaining some of the reasons religion has a positive impact on
behavior, Bartkowski says religious networks provide social support to
parents which can improve parenting skills. Also, the types of values
and norms that circulate congregations tends to be self-sacrificing and
pro-family, the sociologist told LiveScience. On a third note, religious
organizations imbue parenting with sacred meaning and significance, he said.

For kids whose parents argued frequently about religion, the children
were more likely to have problems, the study found.

"Religion can hurt if faith is a source of conflict or tension in the
family,” said Bartkowski.

The sociologist further noted it's possible that children's behavior can
affect the parents' attendance in a religious service.

"There are certain expectations about children’s behavior within a
religious context, particularly within religious worship services,” he
said, according to LiveScience. These expectations might frustrate
parents and make congregational worship “a less viable option if they
feel their kids are really poorly behaved.”

The study will be published in the Social Science Research journal.