Physical Literacy and Resilience in Children and Youth.

Philip Jefferies,Michael Ungar,Dean Kriellaars,Patrice Aubertin

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2019.00346

Philip Jefferies, Michael Ungar + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00346

Copy DOI

Abstract

Background: There is growing interest in the relationship between physical and psychosocial factors related to resilience to better understand the antecedents of health and successful adaptation to challenges in and out of school, and across the lifespan. To further this understanding, a trans-disciplinary approach was used to investigate the association between the multidimensional constructs of physical literacy and resilience in children at a key stage in their development.Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 227 school children aged 9-12 years old from five schools in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Resilience was measured using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure, and physical literacy through the Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth tools. Data were provided by self-report, surrogate assessors of the child (physical education teachers and parents), and trained assessors for movement skills. These data were analyzed using correlation and logistic regression.Results: Resilience was significantly correlated with numerous indicators of physical literacy, including movement capacity, confidence, and competence, environmental engagement, and overall perceptions of physical literacy. Regressions indicated that resilience could be predicted by movement confidence and competence, environmental engagement, and overall physical literacy.Conclusions: The findings of this study, using a constellation of sources, provide foundational evidence for the link between resilience and physical literacy among children, encouraging the importance of physical literacy development in schools. Longitudinal studies are required to further examine this relationship and how these previously unrelated fields may work together for a richer understanding of the interplay between the physical and psychological determinants of well-being.

Highlights

A multisystemic and social-ecological understanding of resilience asserts that young peoples’ capacity to thrive despite exposure to adversity depends on the quality of their interactions with aspects of their environment, and the degree to which those environments provide the resources for the development or maintenance of optimal psychological, social, and physical well-being [1,2,3]
Resilience scores were positively correlated with trained assessor ratings of movement competence and capacity, as well as physical education (PE) teacher ratings of competence, confidence, overall physical literacy, fitness, and activity levels
Resilience was positively correlated with self-reported physical literacy and environmental engagement

Summary

Introduction

A multisystemic and social-ecological understanding of resilience asserts that young peoples’ capacity to thrive despite exposure to adversity depends on the quality of their interactions with aspects of their environment, and the degree to which those environments provide the resources for the development or maintenance of optimal psychological, social, and physical well-being [1,2,3] This approach to resilience encourages the importance of the availability and accessibility of resources that can foster resilience, and that strengths in one domain may buffer against stressors related to those in another [2]. Physical Literacy and Resilience and interpersonal skills lead to better academic performance, but can provide protective effects against social and health risks such as delinquency and psychosocial distress [4] This has particular implications for approaches to create healthy schools, such as the Pan-Canadian Healthy School Planner [5] and the UK Resilience Programme [6], which adopts the Penn resilience programme used in the US [7]. A trans-disciplinary approach was used to investigate the association between the multidimensional constructs of physical literacy and resilience in children at a key stage in their development

Results

Discussion

Conclusion