We examined whether three types of husband–wife religious discordance (denomination, intensity, and attendance) were associated with the risk of marital dissolution over three decades. Using multigroup path analysis, we tested the mediating and moderating roles of husbands’ and wives’ marital satisfaction in the above associations in two generations. Using the Longitudinal Study of Generations data, we selected 193 second-generation married couples and 173 third-generation married couples. Results showed that denomination discordance was positively associated with marital dissolution in both generations, but discordance in religious attendance and intensity had no such association. Moderation was found with respect to wives’ marital satisfaction which reduced the risk of marital dissolution more in couples of different denominations compared with couples of the same denomination. Mediating effects were not found with respect to marital satisfaction. Implications are discussed in terms of the continued importance of religious identity to the long-term stability of marriages.
Objective
To examine whether intergenerational religious concordance moderates the gap in affectual solidarity between adult children and their biological versus stepparents over an 11‐year period.
Background
Previous studies have examined the impact of religion on intergenerational relations in intact, nondivorced families. However, few researchers have explored similar questions regarding the impact of religion on intergenerational relations in stepfamilies.
Method
Using latent growth curve models, we assessed concordance–discordance in religious affiliation, religious attendance, and religious intensity. Data derived from four waves of the Longitudinal Study of Generations between 1994 and 2005 consisting of 238 mother–child dyads and 148 father–child dyads, each group consisting of both biological and step relations.
Results
Over the period studied, children had consistently lower affectual solidarity with their stepmothers and stepfathers than with their biological mothers and fathers. Tests of interactions revealed that parent–child concordance in religious affiliation, but not in religious attendance or religious intensity, was associated with a smaller difference in affectual solidarity at baseline and over time between children and their steppparents versus biological parents.
Conclusion
Parent–child religious affiliation concordance was more closely associated with an increasing intergenerational affectual solidarity in biological parent–child relations than in stepparent–child relations.
Implications
Differences in religious practice or beliefs need not be a major point of intervention for helping professionals working to avert or bridge cross‐generational rifts or insider–outsider challenges in stepfamilies.
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