Muslim Immigrant Parents’ Social Status Moderates the Link Between Religious Parenting and Children’s Identification with the Heritage and Host Culture

Abstract

This study addresses the question of whether and when religious parenting is a bridge or a barrier to Muslim immigrant children’s integration. Integration was defined as children’s identification with the heritage culture and the host culture. Participants included 210 self-identified Turkish Muslim mothers children (aged 9-14) and 115 fathers in Germany. All family members filled in questionnaires on identification with Turks and identification with Germans, in addition both parents reported on religious parenting and children on religiosity. Results of multivariate regression analyses revealed that religious parenting was negatively related to children’s identification with Germans but positively related to children’s identification with Turks through increased child religiosity. However additional multiple-group analyses revealed that only the religious parenting of lower educated parents and first-generation mothers reduced the likelihood of children’s identification with Germans. The religious parenting of higher educated parents and second-generation mothers did not affect children’s identification with Germans but promoted children’s identification with Turks. Taken together the findings highlight the diverse roles of religious parenting in cultural socialization processes in Muslim immigrant families. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.