Risk & Resilience

• Independent Risk factor


  Outside the control of the individual e.g., death of a loved one.
• Non-independent Risk factor


  Under the control of the individual e.g., relationship.
• Generic Risk factor


  The loss of friends or change of school.
• Acute Risk factor


  An accident or death of a loved one.
• Chronic Risk factor


  Growing up in poverty, in war, or family violence.
• Individual Factors of risk


  Low IQ, brain damage, chronic physical illness.
• Family Factors of risk


  Violence, abuse, neglect, negative parenting, lack of cognitive stimulation.
• Social/Community Factors of risk


  Peer relationship, deviant peer group, violent community, bullying, quality of school.
• Societal/Cultural Factors of risk


  War, natural disaster, economical crisis, racism, culture supporting violence.
• Absence of necessity


  Lack of food, emotional, cognitive, and social stimulation.
• Presence of negative influence


  Presence of stressor - e.g., violence, hostile situations/environments.
• Resilience


  Sustained competence under threat - the ability to recover and cope with adverse situations/environments.

  • Derives from presence of protective factors - not from avoidance of risk.
• Protective factors may be processes - how people handle a stressor rather than what resources they have.
• Protective factors can be aspects of an individual or aspects of their environment - can differ depending on developmental stage of a child, the developmental outcome being targeted, or the general environment.
• Protective factors might be about recovery or long-term outcomes rather than initial response (e.g., supportive marriage after institutionalisation).
• Personal Characteristics - protective factors


  Of the child - e.g., gender, intelligence, and personality traits).
• Family Characteristics - protective factors


  Warmth, cohesion, and structure.
• External Support Systems - protective factors


  Peers, friends, and schools.
• Risk-focused Interventions


  Attempt to reduce the level of risk exposure.
• Asset-focused Interventions


  Attempt to directly provide higher quality and/or more quantity of assets in children's lives.
• Process-orientated Interventions


  Attempt to improve the most important adaptational systems for children.
• Interventions can (hopefully) improve outcomes for the greatest number of children with the least amount of wasted resources and can advance our understanding of resilience.