Indirect Effects of Perceived Parental Religiosity on Emerging Adult Risky Sexual Behavior via Family Functioning

Research pertaining to parental religiosity and risky sexual behavior (RSB) is vast, seeking to understand how parental religiosity may impact engagement in RSB. However, the inclusion of other possible variables within research models may help the understanding of the intersectionality of religiosity and RSB. The purpose of the study was to examine the associations that parental religiosity has with RSB while including family functioning as a mediator. Participants included 585 individuals (65.5% women and 34.5% men) who completed the Stearns McKinney Assessment of Religious Traits to measure maternal and paternal religiosity to measure private, social, coping, conviction, and conservatism domains. They also completed the Family Functioning Scale (FFS) to assess family expressiveness, cohesion, enmeshment, and conflict, and the Student Sexual Risks Scale (SSRS). Perceived maternal conservatism and family expressiveness had a positive and negative association with RSB, respectively. Perceived maternal religious coping and conservatism had a negative and positive indirect association with RSB, respectively. Perceived maternal conservatism was directly and indirectly associated with higher levels of RSB while most other aspects of religiosity were not significantly linked to RSB. Future research should specifically focus on conservatism within religion to further understand its impact on individuals' risky behaviors.