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Optimistic Attributional Style and Parental Behaviour in the Educational Framework: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

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Well-Being and Cultures

Part of the book series: Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology ((CAPP,volume 3))

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Abstract

This study examined, from a cross-cultural perspective, the impact of optimistic attributional style and perception of parental behaviour on two educational outcomes: school performance and depression. The effects of ethnic and/or regional differences on these relationships were examined. Three hundred forty-nine adolescents (94 Hungarian and 128 Romanian adolescents from Banat and 127 Romanian adolescents from Moldova) were surveyed. The results indicated both similarities and differences between the ethnic and regional groups. Parental control was a significant predictor of the adolescents’ depression and performance, but it did not moderate the relationship between the optimistic attributional style and the adolescents’ outcomes. The effects of optimistic attributional style and parental acceptance were moderated by the ethnic/regional group. The results indicated that the predictors of depression and achievement varied more depending on the region criterion than the ethnic one. Ethnic differences stand out only when combined with regional differences. The educational implications of these results are discussed.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by CNCSIS-UEFISCDI, Project number 849 PNII_IDEI 2026/2008.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Str. Toma Cuza No.3, 700554, Iaşi, Romania

    Loredana Ruxandra Gherasim, Simona Butnaru & Luminita Mihaela Iacob

  2. Faculty of Sociology and Psychology, West University of Timisoara, Str. Vasile Pârvan No 4, 300223, Timisoara, Romania

    Alin Gavreliuc

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  1. Loredana Ruxandra Gherasim
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  3. Alin Gavreliuc
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  4. Luminita Mihaela Iacob
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Correspondence to Loredana Ruxandra Gherasim .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Education, Aarhus University, Niels Juels Gade 84, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark

    Hans Henrik Knoop

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Luigi S, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, Milano, 20157, Italy

    Antonella Delle Fave

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Gherasim, L.R., Butnaru, S., Gavreliuc, A., Iacob, L.M. (2012). Optimistic Attributional Style and Parental Behaviour in the Educational Framework: A Cross-Cultural Perspective. In: Knoop, H., Delle Fave, A. (eds) Well-Being and Cultures. Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4611-4_13

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