Mechanisms to Enhance Resilience and Post-traumatic Growth in Residential Care: a Narrative Review (original) (raw)
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BMC Psychology, 2023
Children and adolescents in residential care often face multiple traumatic experiences. However, some individuals show resilient adaptation. To depict this heterogeneity, the person-centered examination of different classes of adaptation is a powerful tool. Up to date, resilience was insufficiently addressed in this population. Data from 141 children and adolescents in residential care institutions in Austria regarding trauma history, psychopathology, behavioral adjustment, and protective factors were assessed with standardized self-report questionnaires. Distinct classes of adaptation after traumatic experiences were examined with Latent Class Analysis. Class differences regarding traumatic experiences and protective factors were analyzed with χ 2 testing. Three classes were identified [resilience (66.18%), mixed psychopathology (13.97%, mixed), high psychopathology (19.85%, high)]. Only males were classified into the resilient class and only females into the high class. The high class differed significantly from the resilient class regarding cumulative trauma history and protective factors. The mixed class did not differ from the resilient class regarding trauma history, however, they differed significantly regarding protective factors. The resilient class was associated with protective factors. Strong gender differences show the relevance of a differentiated evaluation of gender-specific protective factors and resilience indicators. Fostering protective factors may be a suitable approach for tailored intervention measures.
Longitudinal research on young people leaving the residential care of Girls and Boys Town South Africa reveals layers of vulnerability at 12 and 24 months post care. These layers relate to their pre-care life experiences that led them into care, against the backdrop of the universal vulnerability of young people in South Africa. After leaving care, study participants show no significant improvements in independent living outcomes between 12 and 24 months. However, the data also reveal layers of resilience, notably a cluster of several resilience variables that predict better transitional outcomes. Most prominent among these are relational resilience factors, particularly the youths' relationship with an adult role model.
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 2011
The aim of this paper was to provide a description of the trauma experiences, trauma-related sequels, and resilience features of a sample of Canadian youth in residential care facilities, as well as to explore the impact of gender and of the number of different traumas experienced on trauma-related sequels and resilience features. A convenience sample of 53 youth aged 14 to 17 recruited from six child protection residential care units agreed to voluntarily participate in the study. They were administered the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, and the Child and Youth Resilience Measure. Results revealed high rates of abusive and neglectful experiences in the lives of these youth. Most have experienced multiple forms of trauma. Girls were more likely to report sexual abuse and to display clinical levels of sexual concerns, as well as posttraumatic stress and dissociation symptoms. Multiple forms of trauma were related to higher clinical levels of depression, anger, posttraumatic stress, and dissociation, as well as to lower individual, relational, and community resilience features.
Child & Family Social Work, 2004
The purposes of this study were to derive a new method for identifying resilience (i.e. positive adaptation in spite of serious adversity) among young people in care and to determine the percentage of the latter who experienced resilience on selected outcomes, as conceptualized from within the developmental approach of Looking After Children. The participants comprised two samples of young people who were living in out-of-home care (mainly foster care) in the province of Ontario, Canada, 340 aged 10-15 years and 132 aged 5-9 years. Virtually all had experienced severe adversity in their families of origin, such that in most cases the legal custody, care, and control of the young people had been permanently transferred from their parents to a local Children's Aid Society. Corresponding to each incare sample was a general-population sample of the same age range that served as a normative comparison group and was drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). The NLSCY is an ongoing, long-term social-policy study of the development of a nationally representative sample of Canadian children into adolescence and early adulthood. The general-population samples were composed, respectively, of 5539 young people aged 10-15 years and 11 858 children aged 5-9 years. Resilience among the young people in care was operationally defined, on each outcome variable, as average or above-average functioning relative to that of the general-population sample of the same age range. The percentage experiencing resilience was relatively high on the outcomes of health, self-esteem, and pro-social behaviour, moderate on the outcomes of relationship with friends and anxiety and emotional distress, and low on the outcome of academic performance. The implications of the findings are discussed.
The capacity for a young adult to develop and overcome obstacles in life underpins the concept of resilience building (Gilligan, 1997). A key role of the social care worker is to ensure that young adults growing up in the care system are afforded the best possible outcomes. This includes social care workers helping young people build their resilience in preparation for the transition into independent living and aftercare. The research reported here examines the experiences and perspectives of two residential social care workers regarding the promotion of resilience amongst young people transitioning from residential care to independent living. From analysis of the data collected, three themes were identified: the importance of a secure base, maintaining consistent and long-term relationships and challenges faced by social care workers in building the resilience of care leavers. Findings concur with previous research, which identified the importance of young people having a secure base in their lives as well as long-term relationships as a source of support to aid them in their transition from care to independence. This research in exploring some of the challenges of helping build the resilience of care leavers highlights the possible value of allowing young people to engage in positive risk taking opportunities in order to build important life skills for independent living
2017
The capacity for a young adult to develop and overcome obstacles in life underpins the concept of resilience building (Gilligan, 1997). A key role of the social care worker is to ensure that young adults growing up in the care system are afforded the best possible outcomes. This includes social care workers helping young people build their resilience in preparation for the transition into independent living and aftercare. The research reported here examines the experiences and perspectives of two residential social care workers regarding the promotion of resilience amongst young people transitioning from residential care to independent living. From analysis of the data collected, three themes were identified: the importance of a secure base, maintaining consistent and long-term relationships and challenges faced by social care workers in building the resilience of care leavers. Findings concur with previous research, which identified the importance of young people having a secure base in their lives as well as longterm relationships as a source of support to aid them in their transition from care to independence. This research in exploring some of the challenges of helping build the resilience of care leavers highlights the possible value of allowing young people to engage in positive risk taking opportunities in order to build important life skills for independent living.
In 2009, a Pilot Forum, Time to be Heard, was set up to hear evidence from adults who had been looked after in Quarriers children’s homes at various times between the 1930s and the 1980s. The Forum recorded the testimonies of ninety eight individuals, some of whom had experienced abuse while resident in the homes. While many survivors had struggled to cope with the after-effects of abuse well into adulthood, others reported fewer lingering impacts. This report summarises the findings of a literature review on resilience and institutional child care abuse, which was conducted in response to a Forum report recommendation that research should be carried out to identify factors which seemed to increase resilience in some survivors.