Church is good for children.
That’s the message of a new study that says young children of churchgoing parents fare better behaviorally, emotionally and cognitively than do children of parents who never attend church. In fact, the more often the parents attend, the better off the kids are.
The study by sociologist John P. Bartkowski and a team of researchers at Mississippi State University in Starkville examined data from the nationwide Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS), which evaluated first-graders by interviewing parents and teachers.
Examining the ECLS data, Bartkowski and his team concluded it is "quite clear" that religious attendance impacts children positively. His research — which claims to be a "first of its kind" study on the subject — will be published in the journal Social Science Research.
"[R]eligion does seem to be good for … children," the study says. "The religious attendance of parents and a cohesive religious environment in the home yields significant benefits for children’s behavioral, emotional, and cognitive development."
"Religion" in the study includes all religions — the survey did not ask specific faith questions — so there is no way of knowing if there are differences among, say, Baptist, Catholic or Jewish families.
But Bartkowski’s study did determine that while church attendance is good for children, parental debate over religion is not. In fact, the study found that when parents argue about religion, it can "significantly undermine" a young child’s development. However, when they are in agreement, it can be very beneficial. The study also said parent–child discussions about religion "often yield positive effects on child development."
Regularity in attendance can make a difference, too. "…the children who are doing the best are in households where both parents attend worship services frequently." (BP)
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