On March 11, 2026, with the support of the MSUPE Boiling Point, a meeting of the “Co-Authored Reading” club from the “Science in Publications” series took place. The discussion focused on the topic: “Parents’ Psychological Characteristics and the Emotional Well-Being of Preschool Children: Is There a Connection?”
The speaker of the session, Evgeniya V. Ivanova, Senior Lecturer at the L.F. Obukhova Department of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Educational Psychology, MSUPE, presented the results of a study on the emotional well-being of preschool children. She noted that although the issue of children’s well-being has been widely studied both in Russia and abroad, clear criteria for assessing the emotional well-being of preschoolers have not yet been established.
Based on the cultural-historical approach and activity theory, the authors proposed defining emotional well-being as a dynamic, relatively stable, and positively colored representation of a child’s mental state, formed within the social situation of development. This construct includes the child’s perceptions of themselves, others, and the world (cognition), emotional experience (affect), and behavior (attitude). A key concept of the study was resilience, interpreted in line with D.A. Leontiev’s approach.
To assess emotional well-being, the researchers developed a diagnostic framework consisting of five domains: personality characteristics, emotional-volitional sphere, communicative competence, behavioral and activity features, and neurotic manifestations.
The study involved 141 children (90 boys and 51 girls) aged 5–7, their parents (aged 30–34), and a group of preschool teachers (18 participants aged 38–40). Based on the data obtained, three groups of children were identified: those with high, medium, and low levels of emotional well-being. Factor analysis revealed distinct patterns for each group.
Among children with low levels of well-being, two factors were identified: “Well-Being in the Group” and “Well-Being in the Family”. For these children, the family serves as the primary safe environment, while difficulties may arise in adapting to group norms in preschool settings.
In children with an average level of well-being, a third factor appears — “Self-Perception”. Evgeniya V. Ivanova noted that this may indicate more advanced mechanisms of psychological adaptation and a higher level of self-awareness.
The structure of well-being in children with high levels was found to be more complex and differentiated: four factors were identified, including multiple forms of self-perception. These children demonstrate more differentiated self-esteem, greater independence, and a better understanding of their own motives. At the same time, they may display impulsivity and resistance to group rules, which can sometimes be interpreted by educators as signs of maladjustment.
The study also revealed a statistically significant relationship between a child’s emotional well-being and the father’s resilience. No statistically significant relationship was found between the mother’s resilience and the child’s emotional well-being; however, a trend was observed whereby higher maternal resilience was associated with higher levels of the child’s emotional well-being.
Following the presentation, participants asked a number of questions, including those concerning recommended materials for working with families and the components of resilience.
The video recording is available on the PsyJournals portal’s video channels on VK Video and Rutube.
The research findings are presented in the article:
Ivanova, E.V., Shapovalenko, I.V. (2025). Psychological Characteristics of Parents and the Emotional Well-Being of Preschool Children. Psychological-Educational Studies, 17(1), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.17759/psyedu.2025170101
The schedule of webinars and meetings of the “Science in Publications” project for 2026 is available on the portal.