This study investigated the associations among relational uncertainty, communication efficacy, and the frequency and comfort of discussing religious topics in romantic relationships. Participants included 204 young adults currently involved in a romantic relationship. Preliminary analyses (i.e., bivariate correlations) revealed a positive association between time dating and the frequency with which respondents discussed religious topics, as well as a positive association between the frequency of discussing religious topics and the perception that one shares a similar religious affiliation with one's romantic partner.
Primary analyses revealed a negative relationship between relational uncertainty and the frequency and comfort with which partners discuss religious beliefs. Though anxiety from uncertainty discrepancies yielded no meaningful association with the discussion of religious beliefs, communication efficacy was positively associated with comfort levels and frequency of such conversations in dating relationships. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that relational uncertainty and communication efficacy combine to predict the comfort level and frequency with which romantic partners discuss religious topics. Furthermore, a suppressor effect emerged for coping efficacy on the frequency with which respondents discussed religious topics, such that those individuals who lacked confidence in their abilities to cope with their romantic partner's religious beliefs, but perceived that their partners would be honest about their beliefs when asked, were more likely to engage in discussions about said beliefs. The results also provided some support for the effects of relational turbulence on the comfort level associated with discussing religious topics. Specifically, the associations between relational uncertainty, communication efficacy, and the comfort associated with discussing religious topics were more robust at moderate levels of intimacy rather than at low or high levels of intimacy. Collectively, the results provide evidence that relational uncertainty and communication efficacy are meaningful factors that potentially influence the frequency and comfort level associated with discussing religious topics in romantic relationships.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TCU/oai:etd.tcu.edu:etd-03212011-162426 |
| Date | 21 March 2011 |
| Creators | McCurry, Allyson Lynn |
| Contributors | Paul Schrodt |
| Publisher | Texas Christian University |
| Source Sets | Texas Christian University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf, application/octet-stream |
| Source | http://etd.tcu.edu/etdfiles/available/etd-03212011-162426/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to TCU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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