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Religion and Family Relational Health: An Overview and Conceptual Model

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Abstract

This paper presents a review of research addressing religion and family relational health. Strengths of the extant data include the correlation of three dimensions of religious experience (religious practices, religious beliefs, and religious community) with certain aspects of mother–child, father–child, and marital relationships and specific connections between the three dimensions of religious experience and family relationships are identified. Key weaknesses in the research at present include a paucity of research examining the hows, whys, and processes involved behind identified religion–family correlations and a lack of data on non-nuclear families, families of color, interfaith families, and non-Christian religions including Judaism and Islam. Implications for clinical practice and recommendations for future research are offered.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Human Ecology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Loren Marks

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  1. Loren Marks
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Correspondence to Loren Marks.

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Loren Marks is an Assistant Professor of Family, Child, and Consumer Sciences in the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana State University. He and his research collaborator, David Dollahite of BYU, have conducted extensive qualitative research with over 125 Christian, Jewish, Mormon, and Muslim families to examine the interfaces between religion, individual development, and family relationships.

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Marks, L. Religion and Family Relational Health: An Overview and Conceptual Model. J Relig Health 45, 603–618 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-006-9064-3

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