Social-Ecological Factors Associated With Higher Levels of Resilience in Children and Youth After Disaster: The Importance of Caregiver and Peer Support

Abstract

Children and youth are among the most vulnerable to the devastating effects of disaster due to the physical, cognitive, and social factors related to their developmental life stage. Yet children and youth also have the capacity to be resilient and act as powerful catalysts for change in their own lives and wider communities following disaster. Specific factors that contribute to resilience in children and youth, however, remain relatively unexplored. This article examines factors associated with high levels of resilience in 100 children and youth aged 5- to 18-years old who experienced the 2016 Fort McMurray, Alberta wildfire. A mixed-methods design was employed combining quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data was obtained from the Children and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-28) which measured individual, caregiver, and context factors influencing resilience processes among the participants. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews to gain further insight into the disaster experiences of children and youth. Quantitative findings reveal higher than average levels of resilience among the participants compared to normative scores. Qualitative findings suggest high levels of resilience were associated with both caregiver factors (specifically physical caregiving), and individual factors (primarily peer support). We discuss how physical caregiving and peer support during and after the wildfire helped mitigate the negative effects of disaster, thus bolstering children and youth's resilience. Implications for understanding the specific social-ecological factors that facilitate and support resiliency processes and overall recovery of children and youth following disaster are also discussed.

An ecological resilience model for adolescents with type 1 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

“…In contrast, we found that peer support was positively associated with resilience in adolescents with T1D. This result coincided with previous studies in which a positive association between peer support and resilience was observed among youth who experienced disasters [ 36 ] or early left behind [ 37 ]. A qualitative study showed that emotional and self-management support from peers who also had T1D was important for adolescents in fighting the disease and obtaining resilience [ 38 ].…”

Holding together after disaster: The role of social skills in strengthening family cohesion and resilience

“…(Vivian) Identifying and attacking the problem rather than each other, as well as showing understanding and compassion to one another, helped families create safe spaces where members could identify and resolve conflict in a constructive way. These findings support existing research that indicates that conflict resolution strategies influence the family environment post-disaster, with parents playing an important role in overall family functioning, and specifically in positive mental health among children (Cobham et al, 2016;McDonald-Harker et al, 2021b).…”

Staff and Veteran Perspectives on Residential Treatment Programs’ Responses to COVID-19: A Qualitative Study Guided by the WHO’s After Action Review Framework

“…These recommendations may be especially pertinent for crises such as COVID-19, which require safety measures that restrict social contact. The desire for individuals to connect during challenging experiences is well documented also for contexts beyond communicable diseases or limited social contact (Shigemoto & Kawachi, 2020 ; McDonald-Harker et al, 2021 ). For further insight into the extent to which our participants’ recommendations apply to crises beyond COVID-19, future studies can adapt our procedures to investigate RRTPs’ responses to non-COVID-19 threats, then compare resulting recommendations to our findings.…”