Importance of Building Resilience in Children- Take Away of 2020.

 

Importance of Building Resilience in Children- Take Away of 2020.

What is Resiliency? Resiliency is the ability to “bounce back” from setbacks, and/or overcome hardships.

When we talk about resilience in children, we’re talking about a child’s ability to cope with ups and downs, and bounce back from the challenges they experience during childhood

Children’s problems include for example adapting to a new classroom, bullying by classmates, moving home or abuse at home, dealing with parents separation or changing schools, studying for an exam or dealing with the death of a loved one.

 Building resilience helps children not only to deal with current difficulties that are a part of everyday life, but also to develop the basic skills and habits that will help them deal with challenges later in life, during adolescence and adulthood.

 

The concept of positive adaptation despite adversity has existed practically since humans began reflecting on their own behaviour. Resilience, an English word derived from the Latin for springing back, or “jumping back up,” took on an additional preventive meaning sometime in the last century, in part because it helped to change the focus of research from pathologies to opportunities for supportive action. The desire to act in support of resilience leads naturally to a search for ways to help families and communities strengthen resilience in their individual members. Research has shown that, indeed, much of what seems to promote positive adaptation despite adversity does originate outside of the individual — in the family, the community, the society, the culture, and the environment. Further research has led to the concepts of resilient reintegration, whereby a confrontation with adversity can lead for some to a new level of growth, and, for some, to the notion that resilience is something innate that needs only to be properly awakened.

 

Resilience is shaped partly by the individual characteristics we are born with (our genes, temperament and personality) and partly by the environment we grow up in — our family, community and the broader society. While there are some things we can’t change, such as our biological makeup, there are many things we can change. 

One way of explaining. The turbulence, or poor weather, represents adversity. Different planes will respond to poor weather conditions in different ways, in the same way different children respond to the same adversity in different ways. 

The good news is that resilience skills can be learned.

Building resilience—the ability to adapt well to adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or even significant sources of stress—can help our children manage stress and feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. However, being resilient does not mean that children won’t experience difficulty or distress. Emotional pain, sadness, and anxiety are common when we have suffered major trauma or personal loss, or even when we hear of someone else’s loss or trauma or challenging environment

Protective factors can decrease the probability of high-risk outcomes. It appear to be the building blocks to resilience.

> Proactive Orientation - Resilient individuals have a realistic positive sense of self-worth and self-efficacy. Those who possess are more likely to interpret successes as indication of their capabilities. Teaching children to help others is an effective way to promote responsibility, empathy and self- esteem.

> Self-Regulation - One of the most fundamental protective factors is success in developing self-control. It can be developed during day to day activities. 

Connections and Attachment The desire to belong and form attachments with family and friends is considered a fundamental human need. Having social competence and positive connections with peers, family, and pro-social adults is significantly related to a child’s ability to adapt to life’s stressors. For children, developing friendships is paramount. Being part of at least one friendship may also improve a child’s adjustment. The presence of an influential person in a child’s life who believed in them is also significant.

> School Achievement and Involvement -A positive connection with school and extracurricular groups has been shown to lead to increased pro-social behaviour.

Following Interventions helps in building resilience

 

·    Teach children and families problem-solving skills

·    Encourage children to express positive and negative feelings

· Help children and families to identify strengths and positive family experiences (time to have fun, special family time)

·   Build self-esteem

· Teach optimistic thinking (children consider negative events as temporary rather than permanent)   Incorporate relaxation therapy

·   Authoritative parenting style (consistently warm with clear limits)

·   Set high but realistic expectations

Resilience involves a combination of internal and external factors. Internally, it involves behaviours, thoughts, and actions that anyone can learn and develop. Resilience is also strengthened by having safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments within and outside the family.

          By

         Dr. Mona Shah

         Occupational Therapist, Clinical Psychologist.