Religious Kids Behave Better

Religious Kids Behave Better

Less Likely Than Peers to Take Risks, Get in Trouble, Trouble

By Lisa Habib
WebMD, Inc.

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Tuesday, September 24, 2002

Sept. 24, 2002 - You may not be surprised to hear that religious teenagers get into less trouble than their nonreligious peers. Even the author of a new study says, "Our findings are not radically surprising."

But religion as a factor in adolescents' lives hasn't been studied much before, says Christian Smith, PhD, professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

His study analyzes data from a survey of more than 2,400 high school seniors who identified themselves as Baptist, Protestant (other than Baptist), Catholic, Jewish, Mormon, other, or not religious. The students were categorized by how often they attend religious services, how important religion is to them, and how long they'd participated in a church youth group.

"One of the most interesting observations is that the religious correlation doesn't seem to kick in until it reaches the level of the most religious kids," Smith says in a news release.

The findings show that the most religious 12th graders are:

	Less likely to skip school.
	Less likely to be suspended or expelled.
	More likely to have strict parents.
	Less likely to smoke, or more likely to start smoking later than other kids.
	More likely to never have been drunk and more likely to wait longer than others to get drunk for the first time.
	Less likely to use, sell, or be offered drugs (though 39% of even the most frequent attenders of religious services reported using some kind of drug).
	More likely to wear seatbelts (but not significantly less likely to get traffic tickets).
	Just as likely as nonreligious kids to get into fights.
	Less likely to participate in crimes, including shoplifting.

The results also show that religious kids volunteer more and participate more in sports and student government.

The study is part of the four-year National Study of Youth and Religion, looking at how religion and spirituality shape and influence teenagers.

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Visit the web site noted here for a PBS resource that will help you expose students to important religious and ethical issues while connecting them with their families and communities.

Religion & Ethics Newsweekly . For Teachers. Overview | PBS

Many have observed that today's children seem disconnected from family and community. Young people seem to spend a huge amount of time watching television and browsing malls, and relatively little time engaging in positive interaction with their elders. Deborah Meier noted in a recent article that "...the vast majority of kids were spending a critical period of their lives forming their relationship with the world in the most bizarre way; never in the history of the species did one think of raising the young to become adults in the absence of the company of adults." (Meier 2002)

Viewed from the standpoint of research on resilience (Werner 1993) and risk factors and protective factors in adolescence (Catalano and Hawkins 1996), the consequences of children's disconnection from adults are serious. This research has shown that young people who are strongly connected to the larger community and have access to mentoring and support from a variety of adults do significantly better than those who lack such connections.

In an increasingly tumultuous and difficult world, many have concluded that community and dialogue are essential, and that it is crucial to include young people in the dialogue -- to encourage them to explore and speak out on issues such as justice, retribution, rights, freedom, privacy, use of force, tolerance, and respect. Such participation:

· feeds young people's needs for belonging and autonomy;

· motivates students to pursue learning and knowledge;

· offers students opportunities for meaningful action.

To facilitate students' involvement in "real-world" dialogue around issues involving moral and ethical choices, Thirteen/WNET New York's EdOnline has designed eight lesson plans coordinated with the resources on its Web site that will expose students to important religious and ethical issues while connecting them with their families and communities. Each lesson is organized around a key topic, with background; lesson plan procedures; resources; and links to standards with which the lesson aligns. Strategies such as interviewing, surveys, and discussion/debate are also presented.

Two of the lessons are for Grades K-6 and six are for Grades 7-12. Within each lesson, adaptations are suggested for older and younger students.

Religion & Ethics Newsweekly . For Teachers. Overview | PBS