Work

Parental Values and Children’s Resilience: The Role of Socio-Demographic Factors in a Romanian Sample

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Children’s resilience is a dynamic, multisystemic process shaped by cultural context, supportive relationships, and family values. In Romania, research on children’s resilience and the role of parental values remains limited. Objective: This study examined the relationship between children’s resilience, socio-demographic factors (parental educational level, economic status, family structure, religious affiliation, and ethnicity), and parental values based on Schwartz’s value model. We hypothesized that socially oriented values (security, conformity, tradition, universalism, and benevolence) would be associated with higher resilience. Method: A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted with 245 children aged 8–15 years (M = 10.58, SD = 1.95) and one parent per child. Children’s resilience was assessed using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-28), parental values using the Short Schwartz’s Value Survey (SSVS), and socio-demographic data through a parental questionnaire. Results: Higher resilience was associated with higher parental educational level and with parental values reflecting conservation and self-transcendence. In the regression model, parental educational level, conservation values, Orthodox religious affiliation, and intact family structure were independently associated with resilience and jointly accounted for 22.6% of the variance. Younger children had higher resilience, but age was not a significant predictor in regression analysis. Conclusions: The findings support the socio-ecological perspective on resilience and provide among the first empirical evidence from Romania that parental values, together with family and cultural resources, are associated with children’s resilience.

Source: Behavioral Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/bs16091623

Authors: Lucica-Emilia Coșa, Irina-Mihaela Trifan

Institution: Universitatea de Medicină, Farmacie, Științe și Tehnologie „George Emil Palade” din Târgu Mureș

Language: English

Topic: Resilience and Mental Health

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,654