Are religious grandparents more involved grandparents?

Objectives. This study explores how various aspects of a grandparent's religiousness are related to involvement with their grandchildren. Methods. The study ascertains whether religious grandparents are significantly more involved with their grandchildren than less religious grandparents by testing a series of bivariate and multivariate regression models. Multiple measures both of religiousness and of grandparent involvement are used. The study also examines factors that potentially confound, link, or explain the connection between religious involvement and grandparenting (e.g., demographic factors, health, community involvement, traditional values, ties to others). The sample of 585 grandparents comes from two related studies of rural families, the Iowa Youth and Families Project and the Iowa Single Parent Project. Results. Overall, the results indicate that religious grandparents are more involved grandparents, and this involvement is explained in part by their generally greater involvement in all types of family and social ties- religious grandparents are more likely to be enmeshed in social ties to others. Discussion. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of prior research that finds little influence of religion. We also consider the implications of our results for the future of grandparent involvement.