Religious individuals who pray for their partners tend to report higher relationship satisfaction

A survey of young adults attending a public U.S. university found that religiosity moderates the association between praying for one’s partner and relationship satisfaction. In more religious individuals, the association between praying for one’s partner and higher relationship satisfaction was stronger. The paper was published in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.

A recent survey of U.S. adults found that only 57% consider themselves somewhat or very religious. Still, the vast majority say that they believe in God or a universal spirit (83%). Sixty-seven percent reported that they pray at least weekly or monthly. Since the majority of the population continues to engage in prayer, researchers explore how this practice is associated with relationships with other people.

Previous studies have shown that individuals who engage in prayer tend to be more satisfied with their relationships, are more likely to forgive their partners, and are less likely to cheat on their partners. This may be because prayer alters appraisals of stressors and may help individuals gain a stronger sense of meaning and direct attention to matters of importance. Prayer may also serve as a coping mechanism that can help overcome negative emotions.

Study author Frank D. Fincham conducted a study focusing on prayer for a romantic partner. He states that this type of prayer usually takes the form of a petition to God to facilitate the partner’s well-being. A previous meta-analysis found that individuals who pray for their partner more often tend to report slightly better relationship satisfaction compared to individuals who do not pray for their partner or do so less often. However, Fincham noted that the effect sizes varied widely across different studies, suggesting that other factors might influence the relationship.

Participants in this study were two groups of college students from a public university in the southeastern United States enrolled in courses in the College of Human Sciences. They had to indicate a belief in a supernatural agent and currently be in a dating relationship to participate. The first group consisted of 179 students, 160 of whom were women. The second sample consisted of 237 students, 214 of whom were women. The students’ average age was 19 to 20 years.

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Participating students completed assessments of relationship satisfaction (e.g., “How rewarding is your relationship with your partner?”), prayer for a partner (e.g., “I pray for the well-being of my romantic partner” and “I pray that good things will happen for my partner”), and religiosity (“How often do you attend religious services or meetings?” and “How important is religion in your life?”).

Results showed that more religious individuals tended to pray for their partners more often. Individuals praying for their partner more often tended to be slightly more satisfied with their relationship, but this association was weak and passed the statistical reporting thresholds (i.e., was statistically significant) only in the second, larger sample, although the strength of the association was similar.

Further analyses revealed a moderating effect: the association between prayer for one’s partner and relationship satisfaction was stronger in more religious individuals. Specifically, the link between partner-focused prayer and relationship satisfaction was weakest—and statistically insignificant—for the least religious individuals, and it increased in strength as religiosity increased.

Fincham theorizes this may be due to “internal dialogue” regarding consistency: A highly religious person who rarely prays for their partner may subconsciously interpret that lack of prayer as dissatisfaction with the relationship, whereas a less religious person would not read into it.

“The findings reported advance our understanding of the association between partner-focused prayer and relationship satisfaction by showing that it is more nuanced than previously portrayed. By identifying religiosity as a moderator, this study initiates a search for additional variables that may interact with partner-focused prayer, enabling us to better understand its association and potential impact on relationship outcomes,” Fincham concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the roles religiosity plays in romantic relationships. However, it should be noted that the cross-sectional design of this study does not allow any causal inferences to be derived from the results. Additionally, the study participants were overwhelmingly young, white women. Results on men and other age and demographic groups might differ. Furthermore, the measurement of religiosity relied on only two items, which may not capture the full complexity of a person’s faith.

The paper, “Partner-Focused Prayer and Relationship Satisfaction: Does Religiosity Matter?,” was authored by Frank D. Fincham.