HomeNewsDisruption and Resilience in Children: Where Two Worlds Intersect
Disruption and Resilience in Children: Where Two Worlds Intersect
by Veronica Parker, PhD – ICS Fellow
Dr. Parker is an Alumni Distinguished Professor at Clemson University, College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, School of Nursing. Dr. Parker is also the Director of the Center for Research on Health Disparities and a CUSHR Faculty Scholar. She earned a Ph.D. in Biostatistics from the Medical University of South Carolina, a BS in Engineering Analysis from Clemson University, and a BS in Physics-Engineering from the College of Charleston. Dr. Parker has expertise in the areas of categorical data analysis, path analyses, statistical analysis of survey and chronic disease registry data, and big data analytics (to name a few). Dr. Parker’s current research interests are in the areas of health disparities/health equity, quality of life and well-being, resilience, spirituality, and health risk behaviors in vulnerable and underserved populations.
Disruption and resilience are often viewed as divergent forces. So, can disruption be constructive for children? In the first three years of life, unforeseen circumstances and dangers such as maltreatment, witnessing violence, and extreme poverty can inversely affect a child’s developmental trajectory, leading to an increased risk of adverse physical and psychological health conditions (Nelson et al., 2020).1 Regardless of age, families have always been challenged by disruptive life changes that interrupted patterns, routines, and relationships. Disruption is defined as a major life disturbance — something that forces unanticipated change in plans. Resilience, on the other hand, is successful adaptation in the wake of disruption. It is the ability to rebound from adversity, stress, and other life challenges/disturbances (Hurley, 2020).2 In the lives of children, the two can intersect in an impactful way to affect healthy growth and development. Childhood adversity or life disruptions can build resilience. In this sense, disruption can be constructive.
In the pediatric world, a great deal of concern surrounds adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Early adversity and disruption can interfere with healthy growth and development. In the early years, brain development is susceptible to toxic stress caused by ACEs and has the capacity to physically change a child’s brain and be hardwired into a child’s biology through genes. The impact of early childhood setbacks and disruptions on later health and development has generated much interest in protecting against adverse childhood events and the mitigating role of resilience (Sciaraffa et al., 2018; Bethell et al., 2014).3-4 A comparatively newer science has emerged to focus on positive childhood experiences (PCEs) to demonstrate the power that parents and caregivers have to help children deal with early adversity and disruption (Bethell et al., 2019).5 Research in the behavioral and social sciences has resulted in an extensive knowledge base that helps to explain why some people develop adaptive capacities to overcome major life challenges while others do not. The major finding was that children who ended up doing well had at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2015).6 Warm and loving interactions early in life promote mental health and fewer behavioral challenges later and can help children build skills for working through problems, dealing with stress, and forming healthy relationships. Such positive interactions can provide the scaffolding and protection that buffer children from developmental disruption and build the capacity for children to thrive in the wake of adversity. For young children, supportive relationships and adaptive skill-building coupled with positive experiences provide the foundations of resilience (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2015).6
Why is Resilience Good for Children?
Resilience is a skill that children develop over time — as they grow. Resilience allows children to recover more quickly from disruptions, setbacks, and adverse life events. Resilience builds problem-solving skills and fosters confidence by helping children feel more capable of dealing with problems as they arise. Resilient children are more likely to have better physical and mental health than children who struggle with resilience.
Children are born with some capability to work through challenges and even disruption. However, they all need to have supportive systems in place when disruption occurs. Disruption can positively or negatively affect the way children think. In a positive light, disruptive thinking (questioning and challenging the current way of doing things) can foster creativity and simultaneously build resilience. Teaching children when and how to embrace disruption is central to building resilience and long-term success.
Factors that Contribute to Childhood Resilience
Parents can and should be paramount in helping children build resilience to deal with disruptions and other life challenges. For instance, they can teach children to solve problems independently from a young age to develop proper problem-solving skills (Hurley, 2020).2 Solving problems engages the prefrontal cortex or the “thinking brain.” When stressful situations occur, this part of the brain typically shuts down to enable the body to respond to the threat. When children engage in problem-solving activities, they can gain a sense of self-efficacy and mastery as well as develop self-regulation skills. This, in turn, re-engages the part of the brain that may have been shut down due to stress/disruption, thereby reinforcing healthy pathways (Health Federation of Philadelphia, 2024; Primary Beginnings Child Development Centers, 2022; Behaviour Matters, 2018).7-9
Parents can also build resilience in children by assisting them in identifying and managing strong emotions. Children can develop resilience when their parents soothe them when disruptions occur, letting the child know that their distress is recognized, cared about, and endurable. They also learn about resilience by watching how parents respond to disturbances and setbacks. When children see parents respond positively in difficult situations, they learn that they can do the same.10
As optimism goes hand in hand with resiliency, parents should teach their children to reframe thoughts to focus on the positive or ‘bright side of things.’ They can also encourage children to embrace their mistakes as a learning tool – one that can promote a growth mindset. In addition, parents can build strong positive emotional connections by spending more one-on-one time with their children. Accordingly, one of the best ways for parents to cultivate resilience in their children is to MODEL it (Hurley, 2020).2
Essentially, each time a child overcomes a problem, it builds confidence in their ability to handle the next difficulty or challenge.Regardless of interruptions/disruptions, children can indeed thrive in healthy and supportive environments where social and other policies are consistently in place to ensure physical, mental, and emotional well-being in an equitable fashion.
REFERENCES
Nelson, C. A., Scott, R. D., Bhutta, Z. A., Harris, N. B., Danese, A., & Samara, M. (2020). Adversity in childhood is linked to mental and physical health throughout life. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 371, m3048. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3048
Sciaraffa, M.A., Zeanah, P.D., & Zeanah, C.H. (2018). Understanding and promoting resilience in the context of adverse childhood experiences. Early Childhood Education Journal, 46(3), 343–353. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0869-3.
Bethell, C. D., Newacheck, P., Hawes, E., & Halfon, N. (2014). Adverse childhood experiences: assessing the impact on health and school engagement and the mitigating role of resilience. Health affairs (Project Hope), 33(12), 2106–2115. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2014.0914
Bethell C, Jones J, Gombojav N, Linkenbach J, Sege R. (2019). Positive childhood experiences and adult mental and relational health in a statewide sample: associations across adverse childhood experiences levels [published online September 9, 2019]. JAMA Pediatr. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3007
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2015). Supportive relationships and active skill-building strengthen the foundations of resilience: Working Paper 13. http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu
