Perceived Value Congruence Between Parents: Effects on Young People’s Anxiety, Clear Communication, and Value Priorities

Abstract Previous research has established that congruence between people’s own values and how they perceive the values of others can have beneficial effects for their well-being. In the family context, research has primarily focused on congruence within parent-child relationships, offering limited insight into how young people interpret value congruence between their parents. Focusing on mother–father value congruence as perceived by the child, this study examines an aspect of the family relational context that may be relevant for children’s adjustment through greater relational consistency and emotional security. Specifically, the current study examined young people’s perceptions of their parents’ value priorities and explored whether perceived value similarity between parents was associated with their children’s anxiety, personal value priorities, and the quality of clear communication within the family ( N = 198, M age = 18.16, Range = 16–25, SD = 2.69). Polynomial regression and response surface analysis revealed that participants who perceived that their mother and father have similar self-transcendence and self-enhancement values reported lower anxiety levels. Participants reported higher clear communication within the family when they perceived their parents having similar openness to change and self-enhancement values. Finally, participants were more likely to prioritise a value when they perceived both parents placing high importance on that same value. The findings highlight the potential importance of perceived parental value congruence for lower youth anxiety, quality of clear communication within the family, and value development. Perceived value congruence between mothers and fathers may foster clearer family communication and enhance youth mental health.