Religion and social support for parents.

Abstract

How does religion benefit parental well-being? Are religious parents benefitting from the source of informal social support that religion provides? Does religion have an effect apart from this? This study, using logistic regression with data from the Culture of American Families Project (2012) finds that the effects of various religious measures persist in benefitting parents net of social support. These benefits include general happiness, parenting satisfaction, and relationship quality with children. These findings are interpreted through theoretical perspectives including Collins’ particular cultural capital and Stryker’s identity theory.