Socio-Ecological Predictors of Resilience Development Over Time Among Youth With a History of Maltreatment

Abstract

While there is a growing body of research examining resilient development in adolescents with a history of maltreatment, it remains unclear whether youth resilient functioning changes over time and what factors predict such change. The current study aimed to identify the socio-ecological predictors of the change in resilient functioning over time among adolescents with a history of maltreatment. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted with a sample of 771 adolescents drawn from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW-II). Over 18 months, 23.2% of the adolescents remained in the less resilience group, 45.4% stayed in the greater resilience group, 17.4% moved from the greater resilience group to the less resilience group, and 14.0% moved from the less resilience group to the greater resilience group. Younger age, better parent-child relationship quality, and neighborhood safety were associated with stable and continued resilient functioning over time. Conversely, child physical abuse, affiliation with deviant peers, and receipt of behavioral services were negatively associated with continued resilience. Our findings suggest that interventions that support adolescents in building positive relationships with their parents and peers may prevent a loss of resilience over time and ensure continued resilient functioning in child welfare-involved adolescents.