Resilience in children threatened by extreme adversity: Frameworks for research, practice, and translational synergy

doi:10.1017/S0954579411000198

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Resilience in children threatened by extreme adversity: Frameworks for research, practice, and translational synergy

Journal Article•DOI•

Resilience in children threatened by extreme adversity: Frameworks for research, practice, and translational synergy

Ann S. Masten¹•Institutions (1)

University of Minnesota¹

01 May 2011-Development and Psychopathology (Cambridge University Press)-Vol. 23, Iss: 2, pp 493-506

TL;DR: The concluding section on translational synergy discusses the potential for a synthesis of basic and applied resilience frameworks as the next steps toward realizing the original objective and promise of resilience science.

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Abstract: This article delineates parallel frameworks that grew out of the research on risk and resilience over the past four decades, a framework for research and a framework for practice, and then discusses the promise of an emerging synthesis. The research framework defined the meaning, models, and methods that successfully guided four waves of research to date on the nature and processes involved in human resilience. The applied framework emerged in response to urgent needs of children and families faced by adversity and those charged with helping them, resulting in guidelines for translating the unfolding but incomplete research evidence into action. The application of a resilience approach transformed practice in many fields concerned with promoting resilience in people at risk for problems, revolutionizing the mission, models, measures, and methods of practice to align with the emphasis on positive adaptation and strengths defining a resilience-based approach. Yet these interventions rarely translated back to inform and refine resilience theory in ways that would accelerate progress to promote resilience more effectively. The concluding section on translational synergy discusses the potential for a synthesis of basic and applied resilience frameworks as the next steps toward realizing the original objective and promise of resilience science.

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Journal Article•DOI•

Resilience definitions, theory, and challenges: interdisciplinary perspectives

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Steven M. Southwick¹, George A. Bonanno², Ann S. Masten³, Catherine Panter-Brick¹, Rachel Yehuda⁴ - Show less +1 more•Institutions (4)

Yale University¹, Columbia University², University of Minnesota³, Mount Sinai Hospital⁴

01 Oct 2014-European Journal of Psychotraumatology

TL;DR: In this paper, inspired by the plenary panel at the 2013 meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Steven Southwick and multidisciplinary panelists tackle some of the most pressing current questions in the field of resilience research including how do the authors define resilience, what are the most important determinants of resilience, and how are new technologies informing the science of resilience?

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Abstract: In this paper, inspired by the plenary panel at the 2013 meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Dr. Steven Southwick (chair) and multidisciplinary panelists Drs. George Bonanno, Ann Masten, Catherine Panter-Brick, and Rachel Yehuda tackle some of the most pressing current questions in the field of resilience research including: (1) how do we define resilience, (2) what are the most important determinants of resilience, (3) how are new technologies informing the science of resilience, and (4) what are the most effective ways to enhance resilience? These multidisciplinary experts provide insight into these difficult questions, and although each of the panelists had a slightly different definition of resilience, most of the proposed definitions included a concept of healthy, adaptive, or integrated positive functioning over the passage of time in the aftermath of adversity. The panelists agreed that resilience is a complex construct and it may be defined differently in the context of individuals, families, organizations, societies, and cultures. With regard to the determinants of resilience, there was a consensus that the empirical study of this construct needs to be approached from a multiple level of analysis perspective that includes genetic, epigenetic, developmental, demographic, cultural, economic, and social variables. The empirical study of determinates of resilience will inform efforts made at fostering resilience, with the recognition that resilience may be enhanced on numerous levels (e.g., individual, family, community, culture). Keywords: Resilience; stress; trauma; post-traumatic stress disorder Responsible Editors: Ananda Amstadter, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, VA, USA; Nicole Nugent, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, USA. This paper is part of the Special Issue: Resilience and Trauma . More papers from this issue can be found at http://www.eurojnlofpsychotraumatol.net (Published: 1 October 2014) Citation: European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2014, 5 : 25338 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v5.25338

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1,358 citations

Cites background from "Resilience in children threatened b..."

...There is a huge literature now on the topic of resilience in children and youth (e.g., Cicchetti, 2010, 2013; Masten, 2011, 2014a, 2014b; Panter-Brick & Leckman, 2013; Ungar, 2008, 2012; Ungar, Ghazinour & Richter, 2013)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Global Perspectives on Resilience in Children and Youth

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Ann S. Masten¹•Institutions (1)

University of Minnesota¹

01 Jan 2014-Child Development

TL;DR: Progress and issues in research that aims to understand variations in human adaptation to adverse experiences are highlighted, and developmental scientists are urged to engage in international efforts to promote resilience.

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Abstract: Global concerns about the consequences of disasters, political violence, disease, malnutrition, maltreatment, and other threats to human development and well-being have sparked a surge of international interest in resilience science This article highlights progress and issues in research that aims to understand variations in human adaptation to adverse experiences Two key questions are considered: Why is a new wave of global research on resilience important for developmental science? and Why is developmental science important for global resilience? The conclusion calls for developmental scientists to engage in international efforts to promote resilience

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941 citations

Cites background from "Resilience in children threatened b..."

...…be windows of opportunity and plasticity when adaptive systems can be promoted (or protected from harm) to favor resilience; these windows could point to targets and timing of interventions or prevention efforts that would have a high return on investment or greater effectiveness (Masten, 2011)....
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...In other cases, adaptation was evaluated on the basis of positive achievements in age-salient developmental tasks, the psychosocial or physical milestones and accomplishments expected for individuals in a given period of development in a given sociocultural context (McCormick, Kuo, & Masten, 2011)....
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...Research on resilience in children has a compelling rationale and the translational utility often is readily apparent (Masten, 2011), generating interest in the science to find out what may be helpful in reducing exposure or harm and promoting positive adaptation and development....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Child Development in the Context of Disaster, War, and Terrorism: Pathways of Risk and Resilience

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Ann S. Masten¹, Angela J. Narayan¹•Institutions (1)

University of Minnesota¹

01 Jan 2012-Annual Review of Psychology

TL;DR: Progress over the past decade in research on the effects of mass trauma experiences on children and youth, focusing on natural disasters, war, and terrorism, is highlighted, suggesting guidelines for disaster preparedness and response.

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Abstract: This review highlights progress over the past decade in research on the effects of mass trauma experiences on children and youth, focusing on natural disasters, war, and terrorism. Conceptual advances are reviewed in terms of prevailing risk and resilience frameworks that guide basic and translational research. Recent evidence on common components of these models is evaluated, including dose effects, mediators and moderators, and the individual or contextual differences that predict risk or resilience. New research horizons with profound implications for health and well-being are discussed, particularly in relation to plausible models for biological embedding of extreme stress. Strong consistencies are noted in this literature, suggesting guidelines for disaster preparedness and response. At the same time, there is a notable shortage of evidence on effective interventions for child and youth victims. Practical and theory-informative research on strategies to protect children and youth victims and promote their resilience is a global priority.

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715 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Resilience in children and youth: A review

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Staci M. Zolkoski¹, Lyndal M. Bullock¹•Institutions (1)

University of North Texas¹

01 Dec 2012-Children and Youth Services Review

TL;DR: A review of the literature on resilience can be found in this paper, where the authors review the definition of resilience, origins and recent advances in researching resilience, protective factors, models of resilience and measures of resilience.

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567 citations

Cites background from "Resilience in children threatened b..."

...The first wave of research came from scientists wanting to understand and prevent the development of psychopathology (Masten, 2011; Masten & Obradovic, 2006)....
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...Historically, the origins of resilience have deep roots in the field of medicine; however, research on resilience in the behavioral sciences began to emerge around 1970 (Cicchetti, 2006; Cicchetti & Curtis, 2006; Masten, 2007, 2011; Masten & Obradovic, 2006)....
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...However, many children who encounter stress and adversity in life fair well despite their exposure to severe challenges (Alvord & Grados, 2005; Brooks, 2006; Masten, 2007, 2011; Masten, Best, & Garmezy, 1991; Masten & Coatsworth, 1998; Rak & Patterson, 1996;Werner, 1986)....
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...Minority status (Luthar, 1991; Masten, 2011) and racial discrimination (Brooks, 2006) are also predictive of poor outcomes for children and youth....
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...Negative life experiences (e.g., maltreatment, violence, abuse, neglect) are predictors of poor life outcomes (Brooks, 2006; Luthar, 1991; Masten, 2011; Rak & Patterson, 1996)....
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Book Chapter•DOI•

Resilience Processes in Development: Four Waves of Research on Positive Adaptation in the Context of Adversity

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Margaret O'Dougherty Wright¹, Ann S. Masten², Angela J. Narayan²•Institutions (2)

Miami University¹, University of Minnesota²

01 Jan 2013-Springer US

TL;DR: The scientific study of resilience emerged around 1970 when a group of pioneering researchers began to notice the phenomenon of positive adaptation among subgroups of children who were considered “at risk” for developing later psychopathology as mentioned in this paper.

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Abstract: How do children and adolescents “make it” when their development is threatened by poverty, neglect, maltreatment, war, violence, or exposure to oppression, racism, and discrimination? What protects them when their parents are disabled by substance abuse, mental illness, or serious physical illness? How do we explain the phenomenon of resilience—children succeeding in spite of serious challenges to their development—and put this knowledge to work for the benefit of children and society? The scientific study of resilience emerged around 1970 when a group of pioneering researchers began to notice the phenomenon of positive adaptation among subgroups of children who were considered “at risk” for developing later psychopathology (Masten, 2001, 2012).

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548 citations

Cites background or methods from "Resilience in children threatened b..."

...…efforts to span the translational divide through collaborative translational research that engages basic researchers and community partners in intervention trials that re fl ect current knowledge but also explicitly focus on testing theories of change (see Masten, 2011 ; Toth et al., 2011 ) ....
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...Research on interventions to create resilience is gaining momentum as evidence builds from basic research and experimental data that resilience processes can be identi fi ed and changed, and that intervention methods are vital for testing resilience theory (Masten, 2011 ) ....
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...Numerous strengthbased models and resilience frameworks for practice and policy have been articulated (e.g., Cicchetti et al., 2000 ; Galassi & Akos, 2007 Luthar & Cicchetti, 2000 ; Masten, 2001, 2006, 2011 ; Nation et al., 2003 ) ....
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...This is often referred to as the child’s track record of success in meeting developmental tasks, age-related standards of behavior across a variety of domains, such as physical, emotional, cognitive, moral, behavioral, and social areas of achievement or function (McCormick, Kuo, & Masten, 2011 ) ....
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...An example of a systems-oriented de fi nition of resilience follows: The capacity of a dynamic system to withstand or recover from signi fi cant challenges that threaten its stability, viability, or development (Masten, 2011 ) ....
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References

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Journal Article•DOI•

The social readjustment rating scale

[...]

Thomas H. Holmes¹, Richard H. Rahe•Institutions (1)

Washington University in St. Louis¹

01 Aug 1967-Journal of Psychosomatic Research

TL;DR: This report defines a method which achieves etiologic significance as a necessary but not sufficient cause of illness and accounts in part for the time of onset of disease and provides a quantitative basis for new epidemiological studies of diseases.

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10,629 citations

"Resilience in children threatened b..." refers methods in this paper

...Our approach to he assessment of adversity was strongly influenced by the work of Brown and Harris (1978), Coddington (1972), and Holmes and Rahe (1967), among others....
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Journal Article•DOI•

The Construct of Resilience: A Critical Evaluation and Guidelines for Future Work

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Suniya S. Luthar¹, Dante Cicchetti², Bronwyn E. Becker¹•Institutions (2)

Columbia University¹, University of Rochester²

01 May 2000-Child Development

TL;DR: A critical appraisal of resilience, a construct connoting the maintenance of positive adaptation by individuals despite experiences of significant adversity, concludes that work on resilience possesses substantial potential for augmenting the understanding of processes affecting at-risk individuals.

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Abstract: This paper presents a critical appraisal of resilience, a construct connoting the maintenance of positive adaptation by individuals despite experiences of significant adversity. As empirical research on resilience has burgeoned in recent years, criticisms have been levied at work in this area. These critiques have generally focused on ambiguities in definitions and central terminology; heterogeneity in risks experienced and competence achieved by individuals viewed as resilient; instability of the phenomenon of resilience; and concerns regarding the usefulness of resilience as a theoretical construct. We address each identified criticism in turn, proposing solutions for those we view as legitimate and clarifying misunderstandings surrounding those we believe to be less valid. We conclude that work on resilience possesses substantial potential for augmenting the understanding of processes affecting at-risk individuals. Realization of the potential embodied by this construct, however, will remain constrained without continued scientific attention to some of the serious conceptual and methodological pitfalls that have been noted by skeptics and proponents alike.

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7,392 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Ordinary magic. Resilience processes in development.

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Ann S. Masten

01 Mar 2001-American Psychologist

TL;DR: An examination of converging findings from variable-focused and person-focused investigations of resilience suggests that resilience is common and that it usually arises from the normative functions of human adaptational systems, with the greatest threats to human development being those that compromise these protective systems.

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Abstract: The study of resilience in development has overturned many negative assumptions and deficit-focused models about children growing up under the threat of disadvantage and adversity. The most surprising conclusion emerging from studies of these children is the ordinariness of resilience. An examination of converging findings from variable-focused and person-focused investigations of these phenomena suggests that resilience is common and that it usually arises from the normative functions of human adaptational systems, with the greatest threats to human development being those that compromise these protective systems. The conclusion that resilience is made of ordinary rather than extraordinary processes offers a more positive outlook on human development and adaptation, as well as direction for policy and practice aimed at enhancing the development of children at risk for problems and psychopathology.

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5,961 citations

"Resilience in children threatened b..." refers background or methods in this paper

...This does not mean that risks and problems are ignored, but rather that a broader array of strategies for change are considered, including some of the most powerful engines for human adaptation and development (Masten, 2001, 2007)....
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...These models were often grouped by their focus on the whole person or variables of particular interest (Masten, 2001)....
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...In resilience research, person-focused analyses, especially those based on multiple criteria for adaptive behavior and adversity, were well suited to the search for clues to broadly important factors for resilience and configurations or profiles that occur in real people, whereas variable-focused methods were more suited to the search for specific or differential factors and processes for particular domains of function (Bergman & Magnusson, 1997; Masten, 2001)....
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...The resilience literature strongly suggests that when these adaptive systems are operating well, capacity for resilience in the face of challenge will be good (Masten, 2001, 2007, in press)....
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...The first wave of research on resilience in the behavioral sciences emerged around 1970 from research by scientists seeking to understand and prevent the development of psychopathology (Masten, 1989, 2001, 2007)....
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Psychosocial Resilience and Protective Mechanisms

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Michael Rutter¹•Institutions (1)

Medical Research Council¹

01 Jan 1990

TL;DR: The concept of mechanisms that protect people against the psychological risks associated with adversity is discussed in relation to four main processes: reduction of risk impact, reduction of negative chain reactions, establishment and maintenance of self-esteem and self-efficacy, and opening up of opportunities.

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Abstract: The concept of mechanisms that protect people against the psychological risks associated with adversity is discussed in relation to four main processes: reduction of risk impact, reduction of negative chain reactions, establishment and maintenance of self-esteem and self-efficacy, and opening up of opportunities. The mechanisms operating at key turning points in people's lives must be given special attention.

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5,519 citations

"Resilience in children threatened b..." refers background in this paper

...However, our approach was strongly influenced by the work of Sameroff (e.g., Sameroff, 2000; Sameroff & Chandler, 1975) and Rutter (1979, 1990), as well as by the risk research in schizophrenia (Gottesman, 1974; Watt, Anthony, Wynne, & Rolf, 1984)....
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...Pathway models of resilience and nonresilience in human behavior were described in early, influential publications by leading investigators in this area (e.g., Rutter, 1990)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Loss, Trauma, and Human Resilience Have We Underestimated the Human Capacity to Thrive After Extremely Aversive Events?

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George A. Bonanno¹•Institutions (1)

Columbia University¹

01 Jan 2004-American Psychologist

TL;DR: Evidence is reviewed that resilience represents a distinct trajectory from the process of recovery, that resilience in the face of loss or potential trauma is more common than is often believed, and that there are multiple and sometimes unexpected pathways to resilience.

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Abstract: Many people are exposed to loss or potentially traumatic events at some point in their lives, and yet they continue to have positive emotional experiences and show only minor and transient disruptions in their ability to function. Unfortunately, because much of psychology’s knowledge about how adults cope with loss or trauma has come from individuals who sought treatment or exhibited great distress, loss and trauma theorists have often viewed this type of resilience as either rare or pathological. The author challenges these assumptions by reviewing evidence that resilience represents a distinct trajectory from the process of recovery, that resilience in the face of loss or potential trauma is more common than is often believed, and that there are multiple and sometimes unexpected pathways to resilience. M ost people are exposed to at least one violent or life-threatening situation during the course of their lives (Ozer, Best, Lipsey, & Weiss, 2003). As people progress through the life cycle, they are also increasingly confronted with the deaths of close friends and relatives. Not everyone copes with these potentially disturbing events in the same way. Some people experience acute distress from which they are unable to recover. Others suffer less intensely and for a much shorter period of time. Some people seem to recover quickly but then begin to experience unexpected health problems or difficulties concentrating or enjoying life the way they used to. However, large numbers of people manage to endure the temporary upheaval of loss or potentially traumatic events remarkably well, with no apparent disruption in their ability to function at work or in close relationships, and seem to move on to new challenges with apparent ease. This article is devoted to the latter group and to the question of resilience in the face of loss or potentially traumatic events. The importance of protective psychological factors in the prevention of illness is now well established (Taylor, Kemeny, Reed, Bower, & Gruenewald, 2000). Moreover, developmental psychologists have shown that resilience is common among children growing up in disadvantaged conditions (e.g., Masten, 2001). Unfortunately, because most of the psychological knowledge base regarding the ways adults cope with loss or potential trauma has been derived from individuals who have experienced significant psychological problems or sought treatment, theorists working in this area have often underestimated and misunderstood resilience, viewing it either as a pathological state or as something seen only in rare and exceptionally healthy individuals. In this article, I challenge this view by reviewing evidence that resilience in the face of loss or potential trauma represents a distinct trajectory from that of recovery, that resilience is more common than often believed, and that there are multiple and sometimes unexpected pathways to resilience.

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5,415 citations

"Resilience in children threatened b..." refers background in this paper

...Bonanno (2004) as well as publications by our group (Masten, in press; Masten & Obradović, 2008; Masten & Reed, 2002) provide visual pathway models that illustrate hypothesized patterns of adaptive function before, during, and after acute or chronic periods of trauma or adversity that challenge…...
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...In contrast, Bonanno (2004) differentiates resilience from recovery....
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