Chapter 10: Resilience

Resilience

The ability to recover easily from difficult circumstances, adapt to misfortune, and "bounce back" from negative life events. In the context of child maltreatment, it is often defined broadly as the absence of negative consequences across physical and mental functioning.

how a child copes with maltreatment

Measuring Resiliency

Researchers typically measure resilience by assessing a person's functioning across various domains, such as behavioural, emotional, and educational, at different points in time.

E.g., the Ego-Resiliency Scale, the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM). and public records for things like criminal behaviour or academic achievement

Ego-Resiliency Scale

A specific self-report test used by researchers to measure an individual's ability to adapt to stress.

Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM)

A specialized tool designed to gather data on resilience specifically in younger populations.

Yoon et al. (2020)

This study interviewed 27 professionals who work with maltreatment victims and identified five major themes of resilience: surviving, thriving, persevering, incorporating the maltreatment into a healthy self-identity, and self-advocacy

McGloin and Widom (2001)

This study assessed 676 maltreated adults across eight dimensions to be considered resilient: success in employment, education, homelessness, social activity, psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, self-reported violence, and official arrest records (had to get 6/8 domains)

They found that 22.1% of the maltreated group met this criterion compared to the control group (40%). Females were more resilient across both groups.

Mersky & Topitzes (2010)

A longitudinal study that evaluated the incidence of resilience in maltreated individuals by assessing outcomes in early adulthood across 7 domains: High school completion, College attendance, Income level, Incarceration history, Substance abuse, Depressive symptomatology & Life satisfaction (5/7)

They found that 15–16% of the maltreated group met these criteria for resilience, and the non-maltreated control group was 40%. Females were overall more likely to meet the criteria for resilience than males (26%)

Incidence

The rate at which resilience occurs, which varies significantly depending on how it is defined. For example, if resilience is defined as score on a single measure, the rate might be as high as 89%, but if competence across multiple domains is required, the rate typically drops to between 16% and 35%

Developmental Trajectory

Resilience is not a stable trait and can change over time. For example, about 48% of individuals may be resilient in adolescence, but this number can drop to 33% in young adulthood. Different factors matter at different stages; family stability is vital early on, while a supportive partner becomes more significant in young adulthood.

Gilgun’s Three Pathways of Coping (2003)

This model describes how children might respond to maltreatment:

• Prosocial: Adaptive coping through positive social relationships.

• Antisocial: Coping through aggression, delinquency, or moving away from positive relationships (e.g., Manny joining a gang).

• Self-injurious: Coping through harmful behaviors like substance use or self-harm (e.g., Manny's drug habit).

Individual Protective Factors

These are internal traits that help a child thrive, including an easy or adaptable temperament, strong problem-solving skills, and social competence (the ability to maintain relationships and practice self-control).

Adaptive Coping

This involves specific mental strategies such as reframing a situation in a more positive light and choosing not to dwell on negative events.

Level of Trauma Suffered

Children are generally more likely to be resilient following low to moderate trauma compared to high-level or chronic trauma. For example, a study found that teenagers who experienced only sporadic abuse with support from one parent were more likely to be high-functioning than those who suffered chronic abuse from both parents

Family and Caregiver Support

Having at least one stable, consistent, and supportive adult in their life is a primary factor in helping children offset the negative consequences of maltreatment

Social Competence

The ability to function well in social settings and develop positive relationships with others. Prosocial skills like being cooperative and empathetic help children interact effectively and achieve developmental tasks

Authoritative Parent

A parenting style characterized by warmth and responsiveness combined with clear, high expectations and boundaries (the best kind). Provides cognitive stimulation and a stable environment.

Community Factors

Social support from the broader environment, such as high-quality schools, health care, prosocial clubs, libraries, and religious organizations, contributes to resilience. Additionally, a strong cultural or ethnic identity and spirituality can help victims find meaning and support in the face of adversity.

Societal Protective Factors

Resilience is not just individual; it is bolstered by broad social policies, including paid parental leave, increased minimum wage, and gender equality.

Oshri et al. (2017)

This longitudinal study followed 1,179 families and found that children with closer relationships with caregivers and more engagement with their schools were more likely to improve their social skills over time, a trajectory called "emergent resilience"

Easy Temperament

A personality type characterized by the ability to adapt quickly to new experiences, a generally positive mood, and regular patterns for eating and sleeping

Victim Characteristics: Ego Resilience

The ability to be resourceful and adapt well under stress.

Ego Overcontrol

The ability to control one's impulses, leading to a person who is seen as dependable and calm

Neurobiological Regulation

A child's ability to remain resilient is linked to their prefrontal cortex functioning, which manages emotional regulation.

Himelein and McElrath (1996)

This study of female college survivors of sexual abuse found that well-adjusted women used specific coping strategies, including talking about their experiences, positively reframing the adversity, and refusing to dwell on the maltreatment

Spirituality

A belief in a higher power that can provide meaning and a sense of self-worth to victims. Participation in organized religion also offers an additional layer of social support

Internal Locus of Control

The belief that an individual can control the events that happen to them through their own actions and traits. For example, resilient victims are more likely to attribute positive events to their own characteristics and blame their abuse on the abuser rather than themselves

Gene 5-HTT

This gene regulates levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that controls mood, sleep, and memory. Researchers have found that this gene interacts with environmental stress to predict a person's risk for depression

Allele

These are alternative forms of the 5-HTT gene. People with long alleles are more likely to be resilient and less likely to develop depression after maltreatment, while those with short alleles (one or two) are at a higher risk of suffering from depression following negative life events

Case Study: La’Tanya and Tichelle

These sisters were both victims of child sexual abuse but responded differently as adults. Tichelle, who carried two long alleles, was able to forgive her mother and functioned with fewer struggles; La’Tanya, who carried one short allele, suffered from panic attacks and crying spells, suggesting a genetic predisposition toward higher vulnerability.

Case Study: Manny and Gerry

Parentification occurs when a child takes on a protective or parental role for their siblings due to parental failure. In the case study, Manny may have taken on a greater burden of parentification than his brother Gerry by acting as a protective factor for his younger siblings, which may have impacted his own long-term adjustment.