The Role of Parental Separation in the Development of Resilience: A Study of Gender Differences among Youth

Aim. To research the relationship between the characteristics of psychological separation from parents and the level of resilience of the personality of young people.

Methodology. To determine the contribution of the level of autonomy from parents of maturing children to the development of their resilience based on theoretical and empirical research. The study involved 493 young people aged 20 to 27 (252 women and 241 men), who, according to J. Arnett, are in the period of “emerging adulthood”. The following psychodiagnostic methods were used: “Resilience of Personality” by A. A. Nesterova; Questionnaire for the Study of Psychological Separation from Parents (Psychological Separation Inventory, PSI, Hoffman, adapted by V. P. Dzukaeva and T. Yu. Sadovnikova); “Separation-Individuation Adolescent” (SITA) in the Russian-language adaptation by N. N. Poskrebysheva and K. V. Krimenchutskaya (Poskrebysheva & Krimenchutskaya, 2018); The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) by M. Greenberg and G. Armsden, adapted by D. V. Lifintsev and A. A. Lifintseva. A correlation and regression analysis were conducted to examine the nature of the relationship between indicators of resilience and psychological separation from parents.

Results. The study results demonstrate that successful separation from parents, particularly in behavioral and functional aspects, promotes the development of resilience. During emerging adulthood, attitudinal dependence on parents (reliance on their values and opinions) remains a critical factor in fostering resilience. However, gender differences in young adults’ needs necessitate a differentiated approach to psychological support. For young women, it is essential to balance autonomy development with consideration of family values; young men should maintain functional autonomy in decision-making while not dismissing emotional support from parents, especially the father.

Research implications. The results of the study contribute to understanding the mechanisms of maturation in the context of contemporary social challenges and can serve as a basis for developing programs to support youth aimed at fostering resilience. In the development of psychological support programs for youth, it is necessary to consider gender differences in the manifestation of the separation process. In practical activities, it is important to develop skills among young people to overcome complex aspects of parental separation, which contributes to reducing the level of separation-related anxiety.

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