Religious parents’ impact

Children raised by religious parents have better social and psychological development than those raised in non-religious homes as they get older, according to researchers of Sociology at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The researchers analysed data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) and examined the effects of parents' religious attendance and how the religious environment in the household (frequency of parent-child religious discussions and spousal conflicts over religion) influenced a nationally representative sample of third-graders. The findings suggest that parental religiosity is a mixed blessing that produces significant gains in social and psychological development among third-graders while potentially undermining academic performance, particularly in math and science.