Resilience In Children Research Articles

Humanitarian Architecture in Service of Children: Designing an Orphanage for Vulnerable Children in Yaoundé

This research explores the impact of humanitarian architecture in designing an orphanage for vulnerable children in Yaoundé, Cameroon. In a context where millions of children are affected by social, economic, and political crises, particularly in Sub- Saharan Africa, humanitarian architecture emerges as a viable response to ensure their protection and well-being. The literature review highlights the key principles of humanitarian architecture, such as user-centered design, the use of local and sustainable materials, and the creation of resilient spaces in times of crisis. Through case studies, including projects in Burkina Faso and Mali, this research examines how architectural approaches can be integrated into educational and care facilities to improve the living environment of vulnerable children. The work concludes with design proposals for an orphanage in Yaoundé, focusing on adaptation to the local climate, material sustainability, and community participation, aiming to strengthen the resilience and autonomy of children.

Improvement in the psychological resilience of rural left-behind children: The influence of social services from 15 social organisations

This study explores improvements in psychological resilience among rural left-behind children in China through social services provided by social organisations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with leaders and social workers from 15 social organisations. The results revealed that left-behind children’s academic adaptation improved significantly. However, there were cases of failure to enhance physiological and psychological adaptation. This study provides guidelines for policymakers to formulate targeted support policies, for social organisations to assess their service quality and for service providers to change their role to collaborators, thereby jointly helping rural left-behind children improve their psychological resilience.

Unveiling Hope-A Beacon for Special Children: Perspective Ali Akber Memorial Autistic School at Thakurgaon District in Bangladesh

This article explores the transformative impact of Ali Akber Memorial Autistic School in Ranisankail, Thakurgaon, Bangladesh, serving as a beacon for the perspectives of special children. Delving into the unique approaches and educational methodologies employed, the narrative unveils hope through tailored interventions and inclusive strategies. Through first-hand accounts and success stories, the article sheds light on how the school fosters a supportive environment, emphasizing the potential and abilities of autistic children. As a tribute to late Member of Parliament of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh after liberation, Ali Akber’s memory, this piece highlights the school’s role in providing education and championing understanding, acceptance, and empowerment for autistic individuals in the community. In essence, “Unveiling Hope” invites us to reflect on the transformative power of education and collective efforts in fostering hope, resilience, and inclusivity for special children. As we envision a more inclusive future, the lessons drawn from the Ali Akber Memorial Autistic School, Ranisankail, Thakurgaon can guide us in creating educational landscapes that celebrate diversity, promote understanding, and ultimately unveil hope for every special child.

Protocol for Alberta Societal Health Integration Program (ABSHIP): Community-based Acupuncture Services Model for Social Recovery and Improve Economic Participation

ABSHIP is a first-of-its-kind study that provided integrated acupuncture interventions to enhance pain management while protecting and fostering psychosocial well-being and resilience in children, adolescents, and seniors. The evidence generated from this project will shed light on the utility and cost-effectiveness of integrative care in pain and mental health management

Protective and Promotive Factors in Migrant and Refugee Children Facing Violence: A Systematic Review.

Migrant and refugee children are at risk of experiencing various forms of violence before, during, or after migration. This study systematically identifies, reviews, and synthesizes evidence on protective and promotive factors that contribute to the resilience of migrant and refugee children facing violence. Of the 3,663 articles identified through search in five electronic databases and snowball technique, 31 quantitative or qualitative research studies met the inclusion criteria. To be included in the review, studies had to (1) have been published after 2013; (2) have been published in English; (3) include migrant or refugee children and/or adolescents aged 18 or below at the time of interview or migration; (4) mention some types of maltreatment, peer violence, or community violence faced by the children or adolescents; (5) examine the association between the hypothesized protective or promotive factors and indicators of adaptive functioning; and (6) include outcome measures that assessed adaptive functioning such as well-being or absence or low-levels of internalizing and externalizing problems. Quality assessment did not lead to the exclusion of any studies. Five levels of protective and promotive factors were identified: individual, family, school and peers, community, and spatial dimension, which converged to highlight the importance of regulatory, interpersonal, and meaning-making strengths for these children. Understanding and addressing these protective and promotive factors is crucial for promoting well-being and improving mental health outcomes in migrant and refugee children facing violence. The findings of this review have significant implications for designing intervention programs and public policies that support these children effectively.

Make new friends, leave my friends: A dialogical investigation into transition experiences and agency in children from UK Armed Forces families

AbstractThis article provides new perspectives on the transitions of children from military families. It examines the experiences and agency of a group of UK primary‐school Service children who were undergoing far‐reaching transitions while participating in an arts‐based research project. Transitions are conceived here not as events, such as school moves, but as processes of changing, the dialogical interplay between ever‐changing socio‐cultural and physical environments and the psychological work individuals undertake in response to change. This reconceptualisation of transitions shifts attention away from children's resilience, or lack thereof, and towards unique, nuanced understandings of their subjective experiences and priorities. Presenting multimodal pieces created by three children as they explored the question, ‘What's it like to be a Service child in this school?’, I describe their diverse and agentic responses to their changing circumstances, as they sought to mitigate anticipated and past losses and perceived disadvantage and to use their transitions as positive opportunities for self‐development. Although punctuated by observable moments of change, this transition work happened over an indefinite timescale, highlighting a need for long‐term support informed by understandings of children's agency and priorities. Such support and insight may be achieved through developing spaces for multimodal dialogue with Service children.

The mediating effects of parental hope and psychological resilience on social support and decision conflict in children with hypospadias

IntroductionThe most common congenital genital abnormality of the urinary system in infants is hypospadias; its frequency is rising to 0.33 percent globally. Surgical reconstruction is the most effective treatment for hypospadias. Parents, as surrogate decision-makers for children, frequently experience decision-making conflicts when making decisions. Stress is neither a straightforward stimulus nor a simple response. However, a stressor (stimulus) caused by life events and influenced by numerous intermediate factors including personality, social support, and psychosomatic symptoms or diseases is a multi-factor process of stress response (response) . The surgical decision conflict of parents of children with hypospadias is a type of stress response, and social support may have an effect on parents' hope, psychological resilience, and decision conflict, with hope and psychological resilience serving as mediators between social support and decision conflict. AimTo investigate the structural relationship between parental social support, hope, psychological resilience, and parents decision conflict in children with hypospadias. Study DesignA cross-sectional design was used to collect the data of 210 parents of children with hypospadias from Department of Urology, Shenzhen Children's Hospital from April 2022 to March 2023. ResultsSocial support indirectly affects decision conflict through hope and psychological resilience, with a total effect of -0.224 (P<0.05), DiscussionDecision conflicts and regret can be reduced if medical professionals provide adequate and clear information, decision assistance, and meet support requirements during the decision-making process. Improving the level of psychological resilience, hope, and social support among parents of children with hypospadias is a crucial strategy for reducing the level of decision conflict they experience. In the process of making surgical decisions for children with hypospadias, the more sufficient social support from relatives, friends, and medical staff can stimulate their hope, boost their belief in the success of surgery, and the greater their psychological resilience, the more effectively decision conflict can be reduced. Some potential limitations of this study should be considered. Firstly, this study was a cross-sectional survey design. It may have some limitations in providing causal relationships between selected variables. Second, the survey investigated only one hospital, which reduces the generalizability of the findings. ConclusionThe data support the proposed model and confirm the structural relationship among the four study variables. This study provides new information on the mediating role of hope and psychological resilience between social support and decision-making conflict.

Psychometric Properties of the Family Resilience Assessment Scale for Children With Disabilities in China

The study aimed to explore the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Family Resilience Assessment Scale for Children with Disabilities (FRAS-CWD). Due to the complexity of family resilience and the particularity of disabilities, there is a lack of reliable and valid tools to evaluate family resilience for children with disabilities in China. Data were collected from 767 Chinese parents of children with disabilities. Item analysis (IA), exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to test the discrimination of items, determine the factor structure and model fit, also with a Cronbach’s alpha for reliability test. EFA analysis yielded a 34-item 7-factor structure of the FRAS-CWD, which demonstrated satisfactory model fit by CFA analysis. The FRAS-CWD also showed good internal consistency. The FRAS-CWD is reliable and valid for evaluating family resilience for children with disabilities in China, reflecting the Chinese socio-cultural characteristics. Relevant professionals and practitioners such as family therapists and social workers can use the FRAS-CWD to assess family strengths and facilitate intervention for families of children with disabilities experiencing adversity.

Prevalence and associated factors of post-traumatic stress disorder in pediatric populations in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent challenge faced by individuals following traumatic events. Given the substantial impact of PTSD on the well-being of young people, comprehensive assessment of the available evidence can inform more effective prevention and intervention strategies to support the mental health and resilience of children in the African context. Despite its high incidence, there has been no up-to-date systematic synthesis of evidence to measure the magnitude of PTSD in pediatric populations in Africa. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to quantify the prevalence of PTSD and identify associated factors in this vulnerable population.MethodsA systematic search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Science Direct, and the search engines Google Scholar and Google, covering the period from 2014 up to May 15, 2024. The primary objective of this search was to identify relevant studies. Subsequently, a meta-analysis was performed using random-effects models to estimate the pooled effect size for each outcome of interest. Additionally, subgroup analysis was conducted to explore potential sources of heterogeneity, with study characteristics considered as covariates.ResultsThe pooled prevalence estimate for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among pediatric individuals was 36% (95% CI: 28–44%). Notably, significant heterogeneity existed among the studies (I2 = 98.41%, p value < 0.001), prompting us to employ a random effect model analysis. Furthermore, our meta-analysis revealed that children above 14 years of age and those who experienced family deaths due to traumatic events were significantly associated with PTSD.ConclusionThis systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that the prevalence of PTSD among pediatric individuals aged 0–18 years in Africa was high. Notably, older children and those who experienced family deaths due to traumatic events were at a significantly higher risk of developing PTSD. These findings underscore the need for early intervention, age-specific support, and trauma-informed care to address the mental health challenges faced by pediatric populations.

Understanding the importance of therapeutic alliance during physiotherapy treatment for musculoskeletal pain in children: a scoping review.

Musculoskeletal pain affecting children is common. Rehabilitation and treatment effectiveness can be influenced by multiple individual and contextual factors. The need for more rigorous evaluation of physiotherapy treatment for children's pain, identification of the role of specific techniques, and exploration of the influence of the therapeutic alliance is needed. This scoping review of research aimed to examine: (1) What are the perceptions of children, parents, and physiotherapists about the importance of therapeutic alliance during musculoskeletal pain treatment? (2) What are the key characteristics of therapeutic alliance during a child's musculoskeletal pain treatment from the perspectives of children, parents, and physiotherapists? and (3) What are the perceived impacts of therapeutic alliance (positive and negative) during a child's physiotherapy treatment for musculoskeletal pain? The scoping review, based on Arksey and O'Malley's framework and reporting was guided by PRISMA-ScR. The search strategy was based on three concept blocks: (1) Study population: Children (<18 years); (2) Medical condition: Any musculoskeletal pain (acute, chronic primary, chronic secondary); (3) Intervention: Qualitative exploration of experience of physiotherapy treatment delivered by a physiotherapist from the perspective of a child, parent, or physiotherapist. The search (no date limit) was conducted in February 2024 across Medline, AMED and CINAHL. Following duplicate removal and assessment of eligibility of the initial 236 articles, nine articles were included; of these, only one specifically aimed to explore therapeutic alliance and it was the only paper to directly mention therapeutic alliance. All nine articles presented the child's experience. One overarching theme "Finding resilience within me through therapeutic alliance" and three main themes: "A trusted guide through the ups and the downs of rehabilitation"; "Having a route map"; and "Take me seriously but make it fun" were identified. Therapeutic alliance was considered important by children, parents and physiotherapist and it influenced child and parent perceptions of physiotherapy and overall treatment outcomes. Physiotherapists can foster the children's resilience when experiencing musculoskeletal pain by providing disciplinary expertise, connecting and collaborating with the child by becoming their trusted guide, and co-creating a route map for rehabilitation by helping them to learn about their body, pain and recovery timeline.

A structural equation model of parenting and child's resilience after the earthquake in Türkiye.

This study investigated the relationship between parental psychological wellbeing, parenting, children's psychological difficulties, and prosocial behavior in Kahramanmaraş earthquake-affected families living in Türkiye in 2023. To this end, a mediation model was proposed for parental psychological distress that was hypothesized to exert an indirect effect on a child's psychological difficulties and prosocial behavior through parenting. Participants were 358 preschoolers between 4 and 6 years old and their one parent (father or mother) who completed a set of validated self-report surveys in a cross-sectional design study. Results showed positive associations between parental psychological distress and child's psychological difficulties but negative association with child's prosocial behavior. Furthermore, quality of parenting mediated the association between parental psychological distress and child's psychological difficulties and prosocial behavior. Our findings suggest that positive parenting may serve as a protective mechanism that mediates the association between parental psychological distress and a child's psychological difficulties and prosocial behaviors among families displaced by a natural disaster like an earthquake. These findings point to the need for supporting positive parent-child relationships in addition to decreasing the psychological distress of parents when exposed to potentially traumatizing events like this.

Building bridges: Resilience and Autism- a Mixed Methods Study

Background: Families dealing with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children try to adapt with different strategies. Objectives: To assess the resilience of parents dealing with children having ASD and its associated factors (2) To explore the perspective and strategies of families dealing with children having ASD Methodology: This was a mixed-methods study done over a period of 3 months among parents having children diagnosed with ASD; undergoing institutional therapy for more than 6 months in duration. Data collection was done using the PREQ questionnaire and Key informant interviews (KII). Informed consent was taken prior to each interview and audio recordings. Relevant tests of significance and deductive analysis followed. Results: There was an equal divide observed between the low (50%) and high resilience (50%) groups. Binary logistic regression showed that the upper socio-economic class showed higher odds of better resilience (OR 4.038, 95% CI 2.857-4.894) as compared to the lower socio-economic class, and those with higher levels of education showed better resilience (OR 9.903, 95% CI 2.502-3.483) than the lesser educated. KII explored different perspectives on personal experiences, concerns, challenges, attitudes, etc. and it was observed that although opinions differed, eventually ways of self-resilience were taught, respectively. Conclusion: Education and socio-economic backgrounds played a role in mending the resilience and adaptive narratives of children with ASD varies from individual to individual.

A salutogenic approach towards children’s overall physical activities, coping behavior and resilience: a mediation analysis

Abstract Aim Physical activity (PA) has many benefits not only for a child’s physical development, but also for mental health and cognitive function which, in turn, results in broader social and environmental benefits. The World Health Organization announced recently that on average, children are not active enough. Following the salutogenic approach of questioning why people stay healthy as opposed to why they become ill, this study aims to examine the effects of overall physical activity (OPA) — including both 'non-sports physical activity' (including 'active play outdoors', 'active play indoors' and 'active mobility') and 'sports' — on children’s resilience and coping behavior. Methods Data was collected from 544 children in an age range of 6–19 years (online survey). Results Results show a two-dimensional construct including a non-sports physical activity dimension and a sports dimension (together, OPA) and the positive effects on children’s mental health. OPA as a concept contributes to the positive development of resilience skills in children. Furthermore, results show that the mediating role of coping behavior is another building block that can be targeted in terms of resilience in children. Conclusion Following the salutogenic approach to physical education and health, we posit that non-sports physical activity dimensions and sports dimensions are fundamental prerequisites for keeping children healthy. The OPA approach reveals joint implication pathways in addition to sport which help to increase children’s resilience.

Student’s Perceptions About Parental Disputes and Its Effect on Educational Performance

This descriptive study investigated the influence of parental disputes on the educational accomplishment of their offspring, with a specific emphasis on three primary dimensions: academic performance, study motivation, and attitudes toward education. The data obtained from Ghazi University DG Khan (N= 391) students indicates a significant degree of variability in the views held by these individuals. The data reveals that a substantial proportion of participants agree that disputes between parents have a negative impact on their scholastic accomplishments, as shown by an average rating of 2.52 on a five-point Likert scale Moreover, students have reported that they experience a decrease in motivation (mean= 2.59) and develop a negative attitude towards their academic pursuits (mean= 2.82) due to disputes within their parental relationships. The statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) provides further evidence to support the existence of these variations, demonstrating that there are highly significant differences between groups about all features (p&lt;0.005). The results above underscore the need to provide assistance and implement interventions to effectively mitigate the repercussions of family disagreements on adolescents' educational outcomes and facilitate academic achievement. The study concluded that students' perceptions of parental disputes are closely related to their emotional and psychological well-being, which directly impacts their academic performance. These perceptions, combined with the frequency and intensity of parental conflict, create an environment that can either deter or encourage resilience in children.

Fostering resilience and post-traumatic growth in overseas Chinese left-behind children: The role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

This study examines the impact of parental migration on the psychological well-being and development of left-behind children (LBCs) in Zhejiang, China, within the broader context of the country's rural transformations and urban migration. It investigates how intellectual and relational engagement (RE), autonomy (AUT), competence (COM), and relatedness (RES) contribute to resilience (REL) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) in these children, reflecting on the shift from viewing parental separation merely as a source of trauma to recognizing its potential to foster significant personal growth. Utilizing a cross-sectional design, the research was conducted in April and May 2023 with 1348 LBCs from a total sample of 4049 students inZhejiang. A two-step random, stratified, cluster-based sampling strategy was employed, and structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypothesized relationships among the constructs. The statistical analysis demonstrated significant positive effects of intellectual engagement (IE), AUT, COM, and RE on both REL and PTG (p<.05 for all). IE strongly correlated with AUT (r=.68, p<.001) and COM (r=.71, p<.001), enhancing REL and facilitating PTG. Additionally, the presence of secure and consistent relationships was identified as crucial for maintaining psychological well-being, with high correlation coefficients (r>.60) underscoring their importance. Notably, REL was found to moderate the relationships among RES, COM, and PTG, highlighting its critical role in the psychological adaptation of left-behind children. The study underscores the importance of nurturing intellectual and REs, AUT, and COM to enhance psychological REL and well-being among LBAs. These elements are crucial for supporting the mental health and developmental needs of children facing the challenges of parental migration. The findings advocate for targeted interventions that can address the unique needs of this vulnerable population, emphasizing the potential for growth and adaptation despite adversities.

Differences in parent and youth reported parenting strategies and the relationship with youth reported resilience: Who you ask matters

BackgroundIt is common in parenting research for parents to report on the parenting strategies they utilize rather than soliciting children and youths’ experiences of being parented. Who we include in research may change our understanding of parent-child relationships and related outcomes for children and youth. ObjectiveTo: a) examine similarities and differences among 21 parent- and youth-reported parenting strategies and b) examine the differences in trends for each parenting strategy and youth-reported resilience depending on who reported the parenting strategies. Participants and settingData were from the Well-being and Experiences (WE) Study (n = 1000 youth/parent dyads), a community sample of youth aged 14–17 years and parents from Canada collected from 2017 to 2018. MethodsDescriptive statistics, McNemar's test, and linear regression models were used to analyze the data. FindingsThe prevalence of five parenting strategies were statistically similar when reported by youth and parents, while three parenting strategies were statistically higher among youth reports compared to parent reports, and 13 parenting strategies were statistically higher among parent reports compared to youth reports. Only one parent-reported parenting strategy was associated with decreased youth-reported resilience. No parent-reported strategies were associated with increased youth-reported resilience. For youth-reports, five parenting strategies were significantly related to increased youth resilience and three parenting strategies were significantly related to decreased youth resilience. Findings indicate that children's and youths' voices should be prioritized in future parenting research, which may inform parenting supports and interventions to prevent child maltreatment and to promote resilience for children and youth.

Emotional prosodic expression of children with hearing aids or cochlear implants, rated by adults and peers

Objective The emotional prosodic expression potential of children with cochlear implants is poorer than that of normal hearing peers. Though little is known about children with hearing aids. Design This study was set up to generate a better understanding of hearing aid users’ prosodic identifiability compared to cochlear implant users and peers without hearing loss. Study sample Emotional utterances of 75 Dutch speaking children (7 – 12 yr; 26 CHA, 23 CCI, 26 CNH) were gathered. Utterances were evaluated blindly by normal hearing Dutch listeners: 22 children and 9 adults (17 − 24 yrs) for resemblance to three emotions (happiness, sadness, anger). Results Emotions were more accurately recognised by adults than by children. Both children and adults correctly judged happiness significantly less often in CCI than in CNH. Also, adult listeners confused happiness with sadness more often in both CHA and CCI than in CNH. Conclusions Children and adults are able to accurately evaluate the emotions expressed through speech by children with varying degrees of hearing loss, ranging from mild to profound, nearly as well as they can with typically hearing children. The favourable outcomes emphasise the resilience of children with hearing loss in developing effective emotional communication skills.

Development and psychometric properties of the Japanese version of Child and Youth Resilience Measure-Revised (CYRM-R) among Japanese youth

Objectives Resilience is the ability to navigate adversity and recover from challenging situations. Developing resilience at a young age promotes mental health and provides benefits throughout one's lifespan. Validated measures for assessing resilience at a young age are required in both clinical practice and epidemiological studies. The Child and Youth Resilience Measure-Revised (CYRM-R) is a tool used worldwide to assess resilience in children and young people. The objective of this study was to develop a Japanese version of the CYRM-R and investigate its psychometric properties.Methods Children in grades 5-9 were recruited via a two-stage cluster random sampling taken from the Japan Adolescent and Youth (JAY) Longitudinal Cohort Study. The participants completed the Japanese version of the CYRM-R . The CYRM-R consists of two subscales, personal resilience and caregiver resilience, with a total of 17 items. The linguistic validity of the Japanese version of the CYRM-R was ensured through translation and back-translation.Cronbach's alpha coefficients were examined for the total score and the two subscales to assess the internal consistency of the Japanese version of the CYRM-R scale. In addition, correlation coefficients of the subscales were calculated. For factorial validity, a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the same two-factor structure as in the original version to assess the model's goodness of fit. Results A total of 2,266 children (50.0% male) were included in the study. The overall Cronbach's alpha of the Japanese version of the CYRM-R obtained from this sample was 0.956; For the personal resilience subscale, Cronbach's alpha was 0.932; for the caregiver resilience subscale, it was 0.919. Significant positive correlations were also found between subscales (r = 0.827, p < 0.001). A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using a two-factor structure for validity. The model fit was good (RMSEA = 0.085, SRMR = 0.041, CFI = 0.934).Conclusion The Japanese version of the CYRM-R maintained the same two-factor structure as the original version. The study findings showed that the Japanese version of the CYRM-R had adequate internal consistency and factorial validity for assessing resilience in children and youth. Therefore, this scale is a valuable tool for identifying individuals or groups at risk in terms of children's resilience and for evaluating the effectiveness of support and interventions.

Resilience—The Ability to Bounce Back!

Resilience means “bouncing back” after a setback, like when you fall off your bike but get back on and try again, or when you do not do well on a test but keep studying and improve next time. This means that when people go through tough situations, resilience helps them to adapt successfully and go back to normal quicker. For kids, resilience can come in handy when you are faced with difficult problems or new environments. Our resilience is shaped by the things we do and the people in our lives. It changes and grows as we experience new things throughout our lives. We can also increase our resilience by building supportive relationships and modeling our behavior after good role models. Resilience in childhood has a big impact on children’s mental, physical, and emotional health and continues to influence them as they grow older. By building resilience, we can improve our grades in school and enjoy life more, while also feeling less worried and sad.

The Pediatrician's Role in Preventing Child Maltreatment: Clinical Report.

Pediatricians have always seen the value of preventing health harms; this should be no less true for child maltreatment than for disease or unintentional injuries. Research continues to demonstrate that maltreatment can be prevented, underscoring the vital roles of both the family and society in healthy childhood development and the importance of strong, stable, nurturing relationships in preventing maltreatment and building the child's resilience to adversity. This clinical report elaborates the pediatrician's multitiered role in supporting relational health from infancy through adolescence, from universal interventions assessing for maltreatment risks and protective factors to targeted interventions addressing identified needs and building on strengths. When maltreatment has already occurred, interventions can prevent further victimization and mitigate long-term sequelae. Advice is provided on engaging community resources, including those that provide food, shelter, or financial support for families in need.