Abstract
Religion and spirituality play a significant role in the lives of Americans. Although there is
evidence of the potential for religiosity and spirituality to affect positive behaviors, there is
also evidence of more complex associations with a variety of outcomes. This suggests that
there is meaningful variation in the role that religion plays in different populations. To date,
however, research on how religiosity and spirituality affect better life outcomes focuses
almost solely on the general population, offering few insights on how religion and spiritual
beliefs and practices may differentially affect the lives of low-income families.