The role of parental authoritarianism and religiosity in child-rearing goals and practices

Do one\u27s religion and authoritarian attitudes affect child-rearing techniques? Research suggests that factors such as religious orientation, educational attainment and authoritarian attitudes of parents are implicated in their child-rearing goals and practices (e.g., Wiehe, 1990). Also, parents\u27 fundamentalist religious orientation is associated with an authoritarian norm of parenting, which involves greater emphasis on obedience and the use of punitive disciplinary practices (Ellison & Sherkat, 1993a; 1993b). 83 mothers and 71 fathers participated in a survey to examine how parents\u27 religious orientation and their endorsement of right-wing authoritarian attitudes are linked to the kinds of goals they establish for their children, and their approval of corporal punishment. A model was developed which hypothesized that while parents\u27 religious fundamentalism would be negatively related to their endorsement of child autonomy, it would be positively linked to stronger desires to keep children in their religious faith, to greater emphasis on obedience and to greater approval of corporal punishment. Also, parents\u27 right-wing authoritarian attitudes should be linked to their fundamentalist religious orientation, as well as a more authoritarian norm of parenting. Results from the zero-order correlations were in keeping with the hypotheses. However, a LISREL path analysis procedure indicated that the relationship between parental religious fundamentalism and emphasis on obedience was indirect, mediated though parental right-wing authoritarian attitudes. Also, the positive relationships obtained between faith-keeping and obedience, as well as approval of corporal punishment, were spurious. Parents\u27 right-wing authoritarianism was a better predictor of their child-rearing attitudes than was religiosity. Religiosity, however, proved important in predicting parents\u27 goal of socializing their children to accept their religious faith