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The Role of Sanctification of Parenting in Married Couples' Perceptions of Coparenting

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The Role of Sanctification of Parenting in Married Couples' Perceptions of Coparenting THE ROLE OF SANCTIFICATION OF PARENTING IN MARRIED COUPLES' PERCEPTIONS OF COPARENTING Michelle A. LeRoy A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2009 Committee: Annette Mahoney, Advisor Kenneth I. Pargament Alfred DeMaris ii ABSTRACT Annette Mahoney, Ph.D., Advisor Contributing to the theory of sanctification, the overarching goal of this thesis was to examine whether the sanctification of parenting directly relates to perceptions of the coparenting relationship and whether such links are moderated by marital quality. The first primary question concerned direct associations between sanctification of parenting, and self-reported coparenting dynamics between first-time parents with one-year-old infants. A second primary question was whether different dimensions of marital relationship quality moderate the associations between sanctification of parenting and perceptions of the coparenting. A third question was to examine the respective unique effects of sanctification of parenting and general marital quality in predicting various aspects of coparenting. As hypothesized, sanctification was positively related to higher levels of solidarity for both mothers and fathers. Contrary to the hypothesis, there were no significant relationships between sanctification and perceived support from spouse for either mothers or for fathers. There were no significant differences between higher and lower sanctifying parents on reported levels of spousal criticism and disapproval with regard to parenting for mothers or for fathers. Higher sanctifying parents were more likely to report higher levels of solidarity in their coparenting relationships as compared to lower sanctifying parents, even when controlling for level of conflict in the marital relationship. Interestingly, for fathers (but not mothers), higher levels of sanctification were related to less undermining when marital conflict was controlled. Higher sanctifying mothers were more likely to report higher levels of solidarity in their coparenting relationships as compared to lower sanctifying mothers, even when controlling for level of love iii in the marital relationship. Analyses detected only one moderator effect, specifically, for mothers, love significantly moderated the relationship between sanctification of parenting and undermining. Additionally it appears that sanctification provides an additional benefit to happily married mothers with regard to decreased experiences of undermining in the context of high functioning marriages as measured by higher levels of love. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to acknowledge and extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who has contributed to the completion of this project. First, I want to thank my advisor, Dr. Annette Mahoney, for her invaluable mentoring and guidance and my committee members, Drs. Kenneth Pargament and Alfred DeMaris, for their assistance and support throughout this process. Second, I wish acknowledge the dedication of all the graduate assistants, staff members and undergraduates who contributed their time and efforts to collect the data that made this project possible. Third, I want to extend my appreciation to my wonderful graduate school cohort and friends who have given me their much-needed support and encouragement throughout the entire process. Lastly, I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to my parents. I cannot thank them enough for their praise, guidance, encouragement and support. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION .....…………………………………………………………………….... 1 LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................................... 3 Theoretical Model of Sanctification .......................................................................... 3 Relevance of Sanctification to Family Relationships ................................................ 5 Recent Findings on Sanctification………………………………………………….. 6 Definition of Coparenting………………………………………………………….. 11 Child Outcomes of Coparenting……………………………………………………. 12 Marital Dynamics and Parenting…………………………………………………. .. 15 Marital Dynamics and Coparenting………………………………………………… 20 Infancy………………………………………………………………………. 20 Early Childhood............................................................................................. 24 Middle Childhood.......................................................................................... 25 Children with Mental Retardation ................................................................. 27 Hypotheses……......................................................................................................... 30 METHOD…………….. ........................................................................................................ 32 Sample………............................................................................................................ 32 Procedure…................................................................................................................ 34 Measures……………………………………………………………………….…... 34 RESULTS………………………………………………………………………………….. 38 Descriptive and Preliminary Analyses....................................................................... 38 Bivariate Links between Sanctification and Coparenting.......................................... 40 vi Unique Effects of Sanctification beyond Love or Conflict ....................................... 41 Moderating Effects of Conflict and Love .................................................................. 42 DISCUSSION…………………………………………………………………………….... 44 Unique Contribution of Sanctification of Parenting beyond Marital Quality............ 46 Moderator Effects of Marital Quality on Links between Sanctification of Parenting and Coparenting…………………………………………………………………….. 48 Contributions and Limitations of Study..................................................................... 51 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………….. 55 TABLES/FIGURES……………………………………………………………………....... 62 APPENDIX A. RECRUITMENT MATERIALS................................................................. 69 APPENDIX B. CONSENT FORMS .................................................................................... 72 APPENDIX C. PENCIL AND PAPER INSTRUMENTS................................................... 74 vii LIST OF TABLES/FIGURES Table/Figure Page 1 Demographics ............................................................................................................ 62 2 Psychometric Properties of Measures........................................................................ 64 3 Bivariate Correlations................................................................................................ 65 4 Hierarchical Regression Analyses: Sanctification and Conflict ................................ 66 5 Hierarchical Regression Analyses: Sanctification and Love..................................... 67 6 Interaction of Sanctification and Conflict on Mothers’ Undermining....................... 68 1 INTRODUCTION Recently, the topic of family life has received an increasing amount of attention within the domain of the psychology of religion. Although empirical findings suggest that religion plays a significant role for families, remarkably little research has addressed specific mechanisms by which religion may shape family life. Researchers have begun to examine the implications of sanctification on various dimensions of family life and whether sanctified aspects of family life are associated with higher functioning in that area. Contributing to the theory of sanctification, the overarching goal of this thesis was to examine whether the sanctification of parenting directly relates to perceptions of the coparenting relationship and whether such links are moderated by marital quality. One primary question concerned direct associations between sanctification of parenting, and self-reported coparenting dynamics between first-time parents with one-year-old infants. Taking in to consideration the significant role played by marital functioning in coparenting dynamics, a second primary question was whether different dimensions of marital relationship quality moderate the associations between sanctification of parenting and perceptions of the coparenting. A third question added after the original proposal meeting was to examine the respective unique effects of sanctification of parenting and general marital quality (marital love, marital conflict) in predicting various aspects of coparenting. To set the stage for this study, I will outline the theoretical model for the construct of sanctification. Then, I will discuss its relevance to family life as well as its proposed implications for coparenting. Next follows a presentation and critique of the sanctification literature. Then, I will describe the theoretical foundations of coparenting and discuss current themes in the literature. After reviewing relevant findings on the role of marital functioning in 2 coparenting, I will articulate my hypotheses and describe how they were tested. Finally, the results and contributions of this project will be discussed. 3 LITERATURE REVIEW Theoretical Model of Sanctification One way psychologists have attempted to understand the mechanisms by which religion could influence family life is through the construct of sanctification. Sanctification is defined as a psychological process through which seemingly secular aspects of life are perceived by people as
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