Resilience (Final)

29
research in practice Resilience Wales College Development Group 2006

description

 

Transcript of Resilience (Final)

Page 1: Resilience (Final)

research in practice

Resilience

Wales College Development Group 2006

Page 2: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Setting the scene

‘I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot ... and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that's precisely why I succeed.’

Michael Jordan, US basketball player

 

Page 3: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

What is resilience?

‘….qualities which cushion a vulnerable child from the worst effects of adversity, in whatever form it takes, and which may help a child or young person to cope, survive and even thrive in the face of great hurt and disadvantage.’

Gilligan, 1997

‘Resilient children are better equipped to resist stress and adversity, cope with change and uncertainty, and to recover faster and more completely from traumatic events or episodes.’

Newman and Blackburn, 2002

Page 4: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

What is resilience?

In other words …

• a positive ability to respond to stress• the capacity to ‘bounce back’ from circumstances

where we would expect cognitive or functional abilities to be impaired

• positive developmental outcomes despite exposure to incontrovertible adversity

Came to notice because children with very similar histories / backgrounds were seen to have different outcomes.

Page 5: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

A natural process

Like resistance to infection, it develops naturally in response to challenging situations. Managed exposure to risk is competency-enhancing.

But only if ….

1. the level of risk the child is exposed to is reasonable2. the child has adequate coping skills3. conversely, the child is not ‘insulated’ by too much

support

Page 6: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Some theory

+ve assets (eg. economic advantage)

EXPECTEDDEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES

-ve risks (eg. homelessness, violence, low birth weight)

Page 7: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Low social-economic status depresses development, even after a good start

Page 8: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Some theory

+ve assets (eg. economic advantage)

EXPECTEDDEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES protective factors

-ve risks (eg. homelessness, violence, low birth weight)

Page 9: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Some theory

+ve assets (eg. economic advantage)

EXPECTEDDEVELOPMENTAL vulnerability factorsOUTCOMES

-ve risks (eg. homelessness, violence, low birth weight)

Page 10: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Why are WE interested in it?

Because we know ….

1. Resilience is associated with better long-term outcomes.

2. Chronic adversity / daily hassles (eg. serious and continuous conflict or drug-using parents) is more likely to have a long-term effect on development than acute episodes of stress (eg. parental separation or loss).

Page 11: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Why are WE interested in it?

Because we know ….

3. LAC are likely to have faced chronic adversity as a result of the reason for their accommodation (and subsequently living away from home) and fewer resilience-promoting factors. So resilience is even more strongly associated with better outcomes for these children.

4. Return home will bring significant changes for the child, as well as anxiety and disputes. The chances of successful reunification improve if the child has good resilience.

Page 12: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Why are WE interested in it?

‘Some children who face stressful, high risk situations fare well in life, but their chances of doing so depend on the extent to which the risk factors in their lives are balanced by protective factors, both individual and environmental.

… If we look at the experience of children in local authority care from a risk and resilience perspective, we can see that there are present in most of these children’s lives an overwhelming preponderance of risk factors. By the time they reach adolescence, unless there are strong countervailing protective factors or processes, the odds against them are simply too high.’

Jackson and Martin, 1998

Page 13: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Why are WE interested in it?

‘Resilience ….may be seen as the essential quality which care planning and provision should seek to stimulate as a key outcome of the care offered.’

Gilligan, 1997

‘Where adversities are short-term, or where powerful protective factors are present, around two-thirds of children appear to survive adversities without serious developmental harm.’

Newman, 2004

 

Page 14: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

A bit more theory

vulnerability resilience

There are intrinsic (internal) factors that shape a child’s level of resilience or vulnerability.

The following are repeatedly found:

• a secure base (belonging, identity, security)• strong self-esteem (worth, importance, competence)• a sense of self-efficacy (mastery and control of our life,

understanding of personal strengths and limitations)

Page 15: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

A bit more theory

protective There are external factors thatenvironment shape the extent to which the child is

protected from adversity.

The following are repeatedly found:

- at least 1 secure attachment- wider supports (eg. extended family, positive peer relationships)- positive school and/or community

adverse experiencesenvironment

Page 16: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

A bit more theory

protective environment

vulnerability resilience

adverse environment

The 2 dimensions interact … for example, a protective environment boosts intrinsic resilience.

Page 17: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Three ecological levels

The child is ‘nested’ within a complex network

childchild

Page 18: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Assessing resilience

6 domains

1. secure base: strong attachments, belonging, identity

2. education: curiosity about the environment and support for cognitive development and stimulation

3. friendships: strong relationships, ability to make / keep friends, an environment that encourages this

Page 19: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Assessing resilience

6 domains

4. self-esteem: feelings of success from talents, interests and aptitudes, encouragement for their development

5. positive values: capacity for empathy, helpfulness, caring and can inhibit -ve actions (‘prosocial behaviour’)

6. social competencies: self-efficacy, autonomy, self control, attention and persistence

See also checklist at annex A.

Page 20: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Planning for resilience

6 top tips

1. interventions are needed in all 3 ecological levels (but it’s particularly important to build a protective network around the child by working on family relationships and the wider community)

2. empower and collaborate with existing ‘assets’ (eg. extended family, neighbours, schools, friends, community members and clubs) – only add professional support when necessary

3. use strengths in 1 domain to boost weaknesses in another (eg. a significant adult to nurture a talent)

Page 21: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Planning for resilience

6 top tips

4. make sure you are taking steps to do all of the following: i) eliminate / reduce risks, ii) improve access to / strengthen assets, iii) address what’s missing

5. use transition points (education, biological or legal) – these can be threats to resilience but opportunities too

6. interventions have the greatest restorative power in the pre-school years, but interventions at any age can make a significant difference to resilience if they are age appropriate

Page 22: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Planning for resilience

Adults who, as children, were exposed to many of the risk factors for CD or ASB but who proved to be ‘resilient’ frequently mention an individual adult who influenced their life as a young person.

‘When children themselves are asked what helped them to ‘succeed against the odds’ the most frequently mentioned factors are help from members of their extended families, peers, neighbours or informal mentors … We must be careful not to under-value these non-professional sources.’

Newman, 2004

Page 23: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Planning for resilience

‘The weight of evidence suggests that building parenting or carer capacity is, overall, the most important source of leverage in the early and middle years. Strategies which just focus on the child, or the broader community, are likely to prove less successful than those which recognise the importance of the child’s immediate family.’

Newman, 2004

Page 24: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Planning for resilience

For LAC particularly

Relatively few assets? insecure base? ‘deviant’ behaviours or beliefs (eg. extreme self reliance)? poor educational experiences?

secure attachment to foster carers maintaining links with birth family intense investment in educational programmes access to the job market (or networks that increase the

likelihood of training or employment)

Page 25: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

What works

All developmental stages Benefits to children and YP

Demanding and challenging activities Less sensitive to risk and more able to cope with demands

Contact with a reliable and supportive other

Reduction in exposure to and impact of parental conflict

Contact with others who can provide activities / opportunities for work

Breaks ‘chain’ effects

Compensatory experiences Promotes self-esteem and self-efficacy

Exposure to demands with opportunity to succeed in valued tasks

Counters belief in ever-present risk

Opportunities for education and careers

Greater adult stability and increased income

Teaching coping strategies and being helped to re-frame

Ability to re-frame experiences more positively and be active

Page 26: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

What works: early years

build a network of social support for isolated mothers

access to learning materials and toys

parent education to improve the quality of care-giving

work focused on helping the child feel more secure

develop self-control, attention and prosocial behaviours

Page 27: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

What works: 5 – 13 years

positive first experience at school (key protective factor)

strong home-school links and parent/carer involvement in education

mobilise community resources (eg. clubs, leisure facilities) to expose children to a range of pursuits, nurture friendships and provide a sense of achievement

opportunities to make a valued contribution within the home

Page 28: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

What works: 14 years +

build positive attachment relationships with competent adults

engagement of male partners

nurture particular skills and talents

opportunities to fulfil a valued social role with responsibility (eg. part-time work, roles in the home, a school project, community voluntary work)

Page 29: Resilience (Final)

researchin

practice

Closing thoughts

‘People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.’

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross,Psychiatrist and author (‘On death and dying’)

‘Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’

Confucius,Chinese thinker and philosopher, 500BC