Promoting Resilience in Children and Young People - Essay Example

Promoting Resilience in Children and Young People: The Role of Risk Factors and Protection Strategies Introduction In this flawed world, it is impossible to shelter children and young people from war, violence, poverty, trauma, and other situations that are very painful and still beyond their capacity to comprehend. Because of the volatile environment in which they have to grow up, children need to obtain and hone the ability to cope with the challenges thrown their way — the skill of resilience — as their ticket to survival. While resilience is an inherent human capacity, other children display more tenacity in dealing with adversity, and some are overcome by challenges and simply fall apart. Fortunately, resilience is a capability that can be developed. Understanding and building resilience requires one to view it as a process rather than an intrinsic individual trait. Resilience can be fostered by modifying the effects of adversity can be modified. Parents and guardians just need to remember that risk factors can exacerbate the effects of negative circumstances, whereas protective factors can ameliorate those effects This paper is divided into three parts. The first section defines the meaning of resilience, risk factors, and protection strategies in relation to children and young people’s ability to manage emotional hurts and traumas, and identifies sources from which children can derive it. The second section studies factors and characteristics that manifest resilience in children. Lastly, the third section discusses various approaches and specific intervention strategies in promoting resilience. It is important to mention that this paper is limited to the study of resilience in children and young adolescents for more focused discussion and research. Understanding the Concept of Resilience `My father gets drunk. He said he was going to kill my mother and me. My mother put me with friends and ran away. I don't know where she is.' (6 year old boy)1 All over the world, children experience painful and traumatic experiences such as the one stated above. These incidents may come in varying degrees and different contexts to every child: it could come in the form of tragedies and disasters such as war, death, famine or disease. It could also manifest as high-level stress, such as divorce of one’s parents, illness, or even being bullied in school. Regardless of the situation, one thing is universal: how a child is fortified or shattered by these events depend largely on their resilience (Grotberg, 1997). Resilience is defined as the ability to “bounce back.” It is the process of, capacity for, or outcome of successful adaptation despite challenging or threatening circumstances. Resilience involves doing well against the odds, coping and recovering.2 Studies in health care pertaining to resilience are usually structured with the terms risk, vulnerability, and protective factors. To better understand the interplay of these variables, Newman, Yates, and Masten offer the following definition of terms in efforts to evaluate what works in building resilience:3 Risk: any factor or combination of factors that increases the chance of an undesirable outcome affecting a person. Vulnerability: a feature that renders a person more susceptible to a threat. Protective factors: the circumstances that moderate the effects of risk. Resilience: positive adaptation in the face of severe adversities. In this connection, Masten et al (1990, as cited in NHC Bridge Child Care Development Service: 2007), classified three kinds of resilience among groups of children: Children who do not succumb to adversities, despite their high-risk status, for example babies of low birth-weight. Children who develop coping strategies in situations of chronic stress, for example the children of drug-using or alcoholic parents. Children who have suffered extreme trauma, for example through disasters, sudden loss of a close relative, or abuse, and who have recovered and prospered. To overcome adversities, children derive resilience from three sources.4 First, a child needs a healthy and supportive environment. A child learns resilience from people who trust and love him unconditionally, who guide and advise him to stay out of trouble. It is also favorable for a child to be surrounded by supportive role models and by people who would encourage him to learn and do things on his own. Second, children draw their strength of spirit from self esteem. A child finds a healthy sense of self when he knows that he is a person who can like and love, who is giving, responsible and respectful. Third and lastly, children find strength from self confidence. A child gleans fortitude in times of adversity from his knowledge of his capabilities: when he knows that he can talk about certain things without being frightened; when he finds ways to solve his own problems; when he can control himself when he senses that what he’s doing is wrong or dangerous; and when he can find someone to help him when he needs it. Characteristics of Resilient Children Winfield writes that there are several key individual characteristics of resilient student in high poverty areas who succeed in spite of their destitute predicament.5 These characteristics include a wide array of social skills, positive peer interactions, a high degree of social responsiveness and sensitivity, intelligence (measured by IQ), empathy, a sense of humor, and critical problem-solving skills. Additional characteristics of resilient children identified by Garmezy (1983) (as cited in Winfield: 2001) include the following: Positive peer and adult interactions Low degrees of defensiveness and aggressiveness and high degrees of cooperation, participation, and emotional stability (teachers' ratings) A positive sense of self A sense of personal power rather than powerlessness An internal locus of control (a belief that they are capable of exercising a degree of control over their environment) Goldman adds other signs of a resilient child: 1) ability to bounce back; 2) capacity to have courage; 3) motivation to move forward; 4) power to stay centered; 5) awareness of knowing themselves; 6) gift of laughter; 7) potential of showing promise; 8) capacity to ask for help; 9) tenacity to accomplish goals; 10) willingness to share feelings; 11) capability to connect with others; and 11) inspiration to give back.6 Approaches and Specific Intervention: Balancing Risks and Protection Strategies The American Psychological Association (APA) has come up with protection guidelines for parents and other mentors in guiding children in their journey towards building resilience: Encourage your child to make connections; Help your child by having him or her help others; Maintain a daily routine; Teach your child self-care Move toward your goals; Nurture a positive self-view; Keep things in perspective and maintain a hopeful outlook Look for opportunities for self discovery; and Accept that change is part of living.7 Furthermore, Seaman et al. also studied the various protective processes that parents and other mentors may use to promote resilience in children. They stressed social safety in promoting resilience in children. Their findings are summarized in the table below: Protective process Example of intervention to promote resilience Alter or reduce the child's exposure to risk Children may arrive at school with no breakfast and return to homes where there is no space for, or encouragement to do homework. The provision of breakfast and after-school homework clubs may moderate the impact of these risk factors, and provide learning opportunities not otherwise available. Interrupt the chain reaction of negative events The presence of one risk factor increases the likelihood that others will be present. Where parents have had poor educational experiences themselves, they may not be able to give their child a good start in school. Poor educational performance may result, followed by attachment to an anti-learning sub-culture, and vulnerability to delinquency. Active programmes to establish home-school links during the pre-school period may interrupt this chain of events. Establish and maintain self-efficacy and self-esteem Young disabled people may be very vulnerable to social exclusion. Some correctable attributes make social exclusion more likely - no waged work, an unattractive appearance and a lack of social skills. The opportunity to pursue socially valued activities in settings used by ordinary people can start a positive, rather than a negative chain reaction, where the development of one attribute - for example, new clothes or hairstyle - will make the development of others more likely, by changing the both the person's perception of themselves and the way others perceive them. Create opportunities for change Care leavers often lack the kinds of social networks that can help and support young people find homes, jobs and friends. The development of positive social networks provides opportunities for the development of inter-personal skills, as well as enabling young people to acquire skills and confidence. Part-time work in service industries can help teach reliability, establish informal contacts and accumulate potential sources of references, which may be activated at a later date when the young person is ready for full time or higher status work. Source: Data taken from Seaman, Peter, Turner K., Hill, M., Stafford, A., & Walker, M. Parenting and children’s Resilience in Disadvantaged Communities.(London, National Children’s Bureau: 2005) However, Newman, Yates, and Masten also underscored how resilience can also be promoted not just be safeguarding children from risks, but by also exposing to managed risks, which provides the opportunity to develop a child’s coping mechanisms and cultivate strong relationships with his support group.8 In sum, NHC Bridge Child Care Service identified three types of intervention approach in promoting resilience in children:9 Risk-focused methods. These aim to reduce or prevent risks such as premature births or teenage pregnancy. When the avoidance of risk is not possible, or the risk is not amenable to change, other approaches may be needed. Asset-focused approaches. These emphasize resources that enable adaptive functioning to counteract adversity, such as improved access to healthcare, additional tutoring, provision of parent education, job training opportunities for parents, etc. These approaches are particularly useful when risk factors are intractable and on-going. Process-focused approaches. These aim to protect, activate or restore fundamental adaptational systems to support positive development, such as strengthening positive, long-term relationships. Conclusion Being resilient provides children better chances in successfully coping with changes around them, even if optimal environmental conditions for growth are not possible (Newman, Yates, and Masten: 2004). The journey towards building resilience in children could be helped, supported, and guided. Most importantly, resilience could be developed. Hence, research in the studies of resilience underscored on important underlying theme: that resilience is a process rather than a specific character trait. This dynamic view of resilience suggests that individual adaptation results from interactive processes among the resilience factors located within the child, family and community (Yates and Masten, 2003, as cited in NHC Bridge Child Care Development Service). It is evident that, to help build resilience in children, it is crucial for parents and guardians to exercise protective strategies to ameliorate unavoidable risks that children encounter in the environment. However, studies also show that resilience can also be promoted not just be safeguarding children from risks, but by also exposing to managed risks, which provides the opportunity to develop a child’s coping mechanisms and cultivate strong relationships with his support group. Hence, it is really a balancing act for people who play important roles in the lives of children. The importance of resilience factors lies not only in their impact on safeguarding a child but also on enabling growth and future development, despite adverse circumstances. Bibliography American Psychological Association. “Resilience for Kids and Teens: A Guide for Parents and Teachers.” American Psychological Association Web site, 2003. http://apahelpcenter.org/featuredtopics/feature.php?ch=2&id=39, accessed May 2008. Goldman, Linda. Raising Our Children to Be Resilient: A Guide to Helping Children Cope with Trauma in Today's World. (Routledge, USA: 2004) Grotberg, E.  A guide to Promoting Resilience in Children: Strengthening the Human Spirit, (Holland, Bernard van Leer Foundation: 1997). Newman, T., with Yates, T. and Masten, A.  What Works in Building Resilience? ( Barkingside, Barnardo’s: 2004) NHC, Bridge Child Care Development Service. “Literature Review: Resilience in Children and Young People.” NHC Bridge Child Care Development Service Web site, 2007. http://www.nch.org.uk/uploads/documents/Resilience_Literature.pdf, accessed May 2008. Seaman, Peter, Turner K., Hill, M., Stafford, A., & Walker, M. “Parenting and children’s Resilience in Disadvantaged Communities” (London, National Children’s Bureau: 2005) Winfield, Linda F. North Central Regional Educational Library (NCREL) Monograph: “Developing Resilience in Urban Youth.” North Central Regional Educational Library, 2001. http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/leadrshp/le0win.htm, accessed May 2008. Read More