Promoting resilience in children and young people

Abstract

There is an urgent need to cultivate resilience in children and ensure that they can safely navigate adversity. To this end, it is important to understand how resilience is built in children and what strategies can be implemented to promote it. Beyond the contribution of caregivers and peers, resilience can be built through robust programmes delivered in early childhood education centres through to high school so that as many children as possible can be reached. Programmes should focus on developing capabilities that provide the foundation for resilience. These capabilities include cognitive function, problem-solving strategies, communication skills, interpersonal skills, and self-regulation skills. Within the New Zealand context, young people living in impoverished neighbourhoods, rangatahi Māori and rainbow youth show greater signs of mental distress than others. Mental distress may have intergenerational consequences because maternal stress during pregnancy is linked to impaired executive functions in the child that may affect their resilience. The psychological distress that results from economic pressures can also limit the care that parents give to their children. It is therefore important that resource-building strategies are co-designed and co-developed with these young people, their families, and their whānau so that their circumstances and needs are addressed. The strategies should include two key points: firstly, promoting perinatal mental well-being, and secondly, raising awareness of the importance of caregivers engaging in serve-and-return interactions, both during play and when reading to their children during early childhood. Helping caregivers understand the value of these approaches, plus how to achieve them, can be facilitated by healthcare providers such as GPs and midwives, and service providers such as Well Child providers and other social support services. Programmes and resources that focus on teaching serve-and-return interactions, enhancing parenting skills and parental wellbeing, and teaching strategies to resolve family conflict can be highly valuable, as well as services that assist families in caring for their children, particularly for families where time and resources are limited due to financial or circumstantial constraints.