From Stigma to Strength: Exploring the Unique Resilience of Korean Youth Navigating Parental Incarceration

ABSTRACT

This study investigates resilience processes among South Korean adolescents experiencing parental incarceration, examining how cultural values shape adaptive pathways within a stigmatizing social environment. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 14 adolescents aged 14–18, and data were analysed using constant comparative methods. The analysis revealed a two‐part resilience framework. Participants navigated a ‘coping arena’ through individual strategies such as positive disassociation and constructive distraction, relied primarily on family support—especially from grandparents—and received limited social support. These experiences also fostered personal growth, future orientation, and motivations rooted in filial piety. The study introduces the concept of ‘relational resilience’, in which strength develops through family relationships and cultural obligations rather than individual autonomy. The findings challenge Western‐centric resilience models by showing how collectivistic values simultaneously create vulnerability through stigma and offer powerful motivations for adaptation, underscoring the need for culturally sensitive, family‐centred interventions that build on existing strengths.