Resilience & well-being - created from Mind Map

resilience is ways in which children cope with and respond to adversities in their lives ~ some children will even learn to thrive under stress ~ it is seen as an important concept I contemporary research as it is seen as promoting a positive and more holistic understanding of children's lives which takes into account their strength as well as their vulnerabilities Beardsall & Dunn studied siblings & found they behaved and reacted differently to traumatic events such as death in the family, or separation of parents or even death of pet~ some were very upset while others only mildly reasons for this were partly because of age, gender, birth order or personality of children ~ but also need to consider the extent of their relationship with the family member, & emotional support they received and that they may react differently later & long tern effects not known Elder et al studied children from areas of USA, the effect of Great Depression, & World War 2 ~ the effects on the children created new challenges on those who were hit by financial hardships and those less affected ~ they saw a noticeable shift in family dynamics and changes in the relationship with their parents, where as before the father was most dominate figure the mother now took on the role as bread winner and greater power within the household because fathers often withdrew from the family due to lack of work or by being away from the home ~ this led to marital stress and shifts in relationships and inconsistency with discipline of children children reacted differently because of gender and ages, boys took on work outside home gained independence spending time with peers, girls stayed home and worked, caring or doing more chores while mother worked outside the home to supplement loss of income particular aspects of the study show how children were affected by their circumstances according to their age & gender, young boys appeared more vulnerable developing behaviour problems , had low self esteem and academic success was often poorer than the girls Elder et al linked this to lack of positive male role model and how fathers disciplined the sons however this research was taken during hardships and social change so may not be as relevant today in contemporary society, many parents now have equal responsibility and make joint decisions on how the children are raised & disciplined and majority of families tend to have two working parents yet, further studies also support gender and age differences, Werner & Smith study of children in Hawaii reported although exposed to same conditions young boys were found to have learning and behaviour problems in their early years, it was thought ill-health and mainly feminine household contributed to this ~ but later girls experienced mental health problems during adolescence due to social pressure and gender expectations ~ both genders appeared more vulnerable at different times of their lives however these children were found to have inner attributes which helped them be more resilient ~ such as love and affection, trust and strong attachments to carers internal qualities that help children become resilient are those who have experienced approval, acceptance and opportunities to learn skills Studies in the UK also noted impact of traumatic events on children ~ such as relationship changes ~ while some were very affected others only slightly ~ it was found it depended on the closeness of the relationship studies suggest children are dependent on the quality of their relationships, the opportunities & experiences they receive from supportive family members to ensure reliance, this indicate secure relationships are paramount in supporting children to promote resilience

children are also able to show support for their family ~ Anthropologist Rachel Hinton account of refugee children adapted and showed great resilience when displaced from their homes, she noted how they displayed support for example by seeking permission to pick flowers for his mother which alerted the wider community to her plight therefore children display ways to adapt & overcome situations, for themselves and others ~ gender age and birth order and psychological traits need to be taken into consideration to why they react differently ~ including the quality of their relationships and support they receive although not all children display such resilience as they may not have the same support or genetic make up to cope so will be in need of adult intervention

minority-world research suggest younger children tend to be more vulnerable yet research also shows it is not chronological age the affects resilience as much as cultural expectations of children at certain ages ~ such as young boys conscripted into army displayed a distinct differences in their ability to cope with civilian life and how they accepted what they took part in ~ yet those who had taken part in initiation ceremony which transitioned them into manhood and therefore sanctioned warfare were able to accept more easily ~ yet those who had not viewed themselves as children and were less able to copethe initiation was key-factor protective which helped endorse their experience ~ so it is important to look at a child's social and cultural environment as well as individual traits in terms of resilience and how they are supported with intervention

Resilience & well-being