A widely ignored study from Gallup and the Institute for Family Studies shows that children who are raised in politically liberal households are more likely to suffer mental health problems than kids from conservative homes.
In the study synopsis Parenting is the Key to Adolescent Mental Health, author Jonathan Rothwell focuses on different parenting styles and how they affect child development. The study then correlates these styles with political ideology and mental illness among children.
“Conservative and very conservative parents are the most likely to adopt the parenting practices associated with adolescent mental health. They are the most likely to effectively discipline their children, while also displaying affection and responding to their needs,” writes Rothwell. “Liberal parents score the lowest, even worse than very liberal parents, largely because they are the least likely to successfully discipline their children.”
The parenting style spread between liberal and conservative parents is not small. “Just 40% of liberal parents scored above average on the index, whereas 71% of very conservative parents and 56% of conservative parents did,” notes the report. Researchers also found that, “Very conservative parents are also somewhat more likely to report giving their child hugs and kisses every day. Generally speaking, political conservatism is associated with more responsive and discipline-oriented parenting.”
The study does a good job of exploring the ‘what’ of different parenting styles and their impact on the mental health of kids. But it doesn’t look as closely at the ‘why’ that underlies different approaches to parenting. The exception is a passing hat-tip to, “the prevalence of routine experiences including... participating in religious experiences (like church).”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, political conservatives are more likely than liberals to identify as religious. Gallup released a study on politics and religion on September 1, 2023, and found that 81% of Republicans are Protestant or Roman Catholic, while 61% of Democrats similarly identified. The study also revealed that 26% of Democrats reported no religious affiliation at all compared with just 11% of Republicans.
What is it about faith and political ideology that correlates so strongly with the mental health of children? One factor that deserves attention is the presence or absence of biblical principles that define the respective worldviews of parents.
The Bible contains a great deal of wisdom on child rearing and it stands to reason that scripture, to a greater or lesser degree, informs the parenting style of Christians. Some of the most venerable tips on child rearing are thousands of years old, including those in the Old Testament book of Proverbs which recommends, “Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.”
Modern research affirms this ancient guidance. The Gallup/IFS study reports, “The percentage that an adolescent is in good mental health is 8 percentage points lower when the parents agree that they ‘find it difficult to discipline their child.’” The words of King Solomon and his successors are as true today as they were in the 10th century BC.
Fast forward to the 1st century AD and we read in Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” This too is reflected by current research. “Both harsh and overly permissive parenting predicts higher risk of mental health problems and problematic behaviors,” observes Gallup/IFS.
The issue of marriage and the attitude of parents toward it also contribute to a child’s mental health. According to the Gallup/IFS report, “Parents holding more pro-marriage attitudes are more likely to engage in best practice parenting.” The authors of the New Testament epistle to the Hebrews summed-up the value and importance of this institution simply and completely in writing, “Let marriage be held in honor among all.”
The rules of science and empirical research don’t allow for the supernatural in drawing conclusions, and that’s fine. But both increasingly support biblical truths, including this current study on parenting and the mental wellness of our kids. There’s a correlation between good parenting, good adolescent mental health and the Bible, and it ought not be dismissed or ignored.
It’s the latest example of how Nobel Prize-winning physicist Werner Heisenberg was right when he observed, “The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you.
(Author’s Note: With appreciation to Dr. Michael Guillen for inspiration.