Culturally Embedded Inner Strengths as Predictors of Resilience in Emerging Adults Following Childhood Parental Divorce

Parental divorce, as an adverse childhood experience, may disrupt family systems and exert enduring effects on psychological development, with impacts becoming particularly salient during emerging adulthood, a stage characterized by identity exploration and increasing autonomy. Within the Thai cultural context, inner strengths grounded in Buddhist values may serve as important resources for resilience. This study examined associations between inner strength dimensions derived from the Ten Perfections (Pāramīs) and resilience among emerging adults who experienced parental divorce in childhood. A cross-sectional design was employed with 160 Thai participants aged 20 to 29 years, who completed the Inner Strength-Based Inventory (I-SBI) and the Resilience Inventory (RI-9). Correlation analysis indicated that equanimity, determination, perseverance, wisdom, meditation, and loving-kindness were positively correlated with resilience. Multiple regression analysis showed that equanimity (β = 0.312, p < 0.001), determination (β = 0.227, p < 0.01) and loving-kindness (β = 0.213, p < 0.01) were significantly associated with resilience. These findings suggest that culturally embedded inner strengths are associated with resilience in a non-Western context. More specifically, among the ten dimensions examined, equanimity, determination, and loving-kindness emerged as being significantly associated with resilience in Thai emerging adults with childhood parental divorce experiences.