AbstractsPsychology

Religiosity and the Decreased Likelihood to Divorce among Married Christians in the United States

by Norma Sylvia Shearin




Institution: Grand Canyon University
Department:
Year: 2016
Keywords: Religion; Behavioral psychology; Pastoral counseling; Individual & family studies; Cognitive psychology
Posted: 02/05/2017
Record ID: 2088985
Full text PDF: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10015640


Abstract

With divorce rates increasing among Christian marriages, it is important to identify the significant factors of this phenomenon. At the time when this study was conducted, there was a need to explore the impact of religiosity in Christian marriages on the likelihood to divorce. Religiosity was expected to affect a couple’s interaction, which plays a fundamental role in the partners’ relationship and marital satisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine whether and to what degree there is a relationship between the level of religiosity of married Christians in the United States and those couples’ likelihood to divorce. The theoretical foundation of the study was the concept of religiosity as a cognitive dimension. The researcher collected predictor data for religiosity using the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire and criterion data for the likelihood to divorce using the Wallace Marital Adjustment Test (LWMAT). The study sample was comprised of 100 Christian individuals from the United States. The data analysis involved bivariate correlations and simple linear regression. The results showed a significant negative correlation between the level of religiosity and the likelihood to divorce of married Christians in the United States, r = -0.26, p = 0.004. The level of religiosity was a significant negative predictor of the likelihood to divorce, F (1, 98) = 7.16, p = 0.01, R2 = 0.07. The findings of this study may be used in premarital and marital counseling to facilitate marital adjustment and decrease the likelihood to divorce. Keywords: Divorce, marriage, religiosity