The Role of Resilient Parents

• In Event: Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 13: Stress and Mental Health

Abstract

This paper builds upon a previous work in investigating the intergenerational transmission of resilience and coping. The aim of our current paper is twofold: to investigate mechanisms for the intergenerational transmission of resilience and coping and to understand how experiences of adversity play a role in the transmission of resiliency from parents to children. Resiliency refers to one’s ability to adapt or recuperate after adverse situations, while coping focuses on targeted actions to handle life situations. We investigate whether experiences of adversity (such as financial difficulties, unemployment, divorce, spousal, parental, or child’s death, experiencing domestic violence) influence the intergenerational transmission of resiliency and coping. In particular, we examine whether resiliency that comes hand-in-hand with experiencing adversity has a stronger intergenerational effect than resiliency that is not rooted in experiences of adversity. The second part of the paper focuses on identifying the mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of resiliency. Here, we focus on social support and religion as mediators between parental resiliency and coping and offspring negative self-feelings. We use the Kaplan Longitudinal and Multigenerational Study (KLAMS) to answer these research questions.

Authors

• Heili Pals, Texas A&M University

• Warren Waren, Texas A&M University-College Station