Religion or Spirituality Has Positive Impact on Romantic, Marital Relationships, Child Development, Research Shows Newswise — WASHINGTON – Adolescents who attend religious
services with one or both of their parents are more likely to feel
greater well-being while romantic partners who pray for their
“significant others” experience greater relationship commitment,
according to research published by the American Psychological
Association. 
These were among the findings of studies published in two special sections of APA’s Journal of Family Psychology
looking at how spiritual beliefs or behaviors have appeared to
strengthen generally happy marriages and how a person’s religious and/or
spiritual functioning may influence that of his or her family members. “These studies exemplify an emerging subfield called relational
spirituality, which focuses on the ways that diverse couples and
families can rely on specific spiritual beliefs and behaviors, for
better or worse, to motivate them to create, maintain and transform
their intimate relationships,” according to Annette Mahoney, PhD, of
Bowling Green State University, and Annamarie Cano, PhD, of Wayne State
University, who edited special sections in the December and October
issues of the journal. “Hopefully, publishing these articles will spur
more research on ways that religion and spirituality can help or harm
couples’ and families’ relationships and encourage more interchange
between family psychology and the psychology of religion and
spirituality.”
The December issue features five studies that offer novel insights into
how religiosity or spiritualism affect children’s development and
influence the importance of religion in their own liThe October section comprises four studies that focus on the ways that
couples can draw on religious/spiritual beliefs and behaviors to
transform their unions and help them cope with adversity. “Each of the
studies in the October special section moves beyond general measures of
people’s involvement in organized religion or spirituality and
investigates specific spiritual beliefs or behaviors that appear to
influence marital adjustment and human development,” according to APA
President Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, editor of the Journal of Family Psychology.
“All the studies present rigorous research into the roles that religion
and spirituality can play in enhancing family well-being.”ves.www.kamalje.blogspot.com
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