Correlations between psychological distress and resource conservation in caregivers of minors in Romania with parents working abroad

Rezumat

This study was conducted in Călărași County, Romania and it investigated psychological distress among 210 caregivers (of which 84.3% are women) of children with migrant parents using the ABC-X model of family stress and the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory. Analysis with DASS 21-R indicated a high level of clinical distress, with a rate of 31.4% of the study participants reporting extremely severe anxiety. Socio-demographic variables did not generate statistically significant differences, confirming that separation is a universal stressor. The primary factor associated with heightened distress is financial satisfaction: dissatisfaction with remittances sent by the migrant correlates with depression (Z = -2.74; p = .006) and anxiety (Z = -2.33; p = .020). Distress reaches psychopathological thresholds when material resources are insufficient, thus validating the COR theory. Financial security is a methodological priority in counseling and assisting transnational families, as economic stability is an important protective factor against the vulnerabilities of migration.