LEC 6 - Implications for action and future research Flashcards
In what areas has resilience science made a difference / transformed the field of practice.
- Clinical psychology
- Pediatrics, Psychiatry
- School psychology
- Counseling
- Social work
- Family social science
How was the focus of resilience changed over the years?
From a deficit-based model to a strength-based model
Focussing on:
- Positive outcomes
- Strength-based
- Promotive and protective processes
- Building capacity at multiple levels
What is the Resilience Framework for action? (Lecture)
The Resilience Framework summarises a set of ideas and practices that promote resilience.
Resilience framework for action:
1.Mission
2.Models
3.Measures
4.Methods
5.Multiple systems
What are the 5 M’s in the Resilience Framework (Lecture)
1 Mission
Frame:
*positive goals
*positive future perspectives
*positive parts of individual’s behaviour
More motivation to partake in interventions, fund interventions and offer interventions
2 Models
Model:
*Strengths
*Resources
*Positive outcomes
*Adaptive processe
3 Measures
Assess:
*Strengths
*Resources
*Positive outcomes
*Adaptive processe
4 Methods
Develop interventions that:
*Reduce or mitigate risk
*Boost resources andadaptive capacity
*Mobilize adaptive systems
5 Multiple Systems
Consider:
*Possibilities at multiple levels
*Expertise from multiple disciplines
*Co-creating different stakeholders
*Co-developing with the target population
What is the Ready? Set. Go!
The study involved 75 preschoolers from an emergency homeless shelter and a community organization serving similarly disadvantaged families. It explores the implementation and effects of a new intervention program called Ready? Set. Go! (RSG) aiming at these 75 children. This program focuses on enhancing executive function (EF) skills in preschoolers experiencing homelessness and high mobility (HHM).
The study showed the importance of executive function for HHM (Homeless and High Mobility) Preschoolers
The authors highlight that children experiencing homelessness and high mobility often face significant challenges in developing school readiness skills, including academic knowledge and socioemotional competencies. These challenges can lead to persistent achievement gaps later in life. Executive function (EF) skills, which include working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, are crucial for learning and social development in young children. Studies have shown a strong link between EF skills and academic competence, peer acceptance, and reduced behavioural problems in HHM preschoolers.
What are the Key Features of the Ready? Set. Go! intervention?
RSG is a multi-component intervention program designed to be brief and efficient to accommodate the residential instability often experienced by HHM families. The program consists of four key components:
●Teacher Training: Teachers receive training on EF skill development and learn how to incorporate EF-focused activities into their existing classroom routines. They are provided with five core EF activities, strategies for adapting activities to individual children’s needs, and six EF-boosting strategies to enhance their teaching practices.
●EF-Focused Classroom Activities: Teachers implement five core EF activities in their classrooms. These activities are designed to be engaging and adaptable, with instructions for increasing the level of challenge as children’s EF skills improve.
●Individualized Child Coaching: Trained staff members provide individual coaching sessions to children who need additional support with EF. These sessions involve adapting the core EF activities for one-on-one interaction and providing more scaffolding and practice.
●Parent Education: Parents participate in weekly Family Fun Nights where they learn about EF skills, their importance for school readiness, and how to support their children’s EF development at home. Parents receive EF games and materials to use with their children and are encouraged to incorporate EF practice into everyday activities.
What were the strengths and weaknesses of the RSG-intervention
The study highlights several strengths of RSG, including:
●Community-Based Participatory Approach: The program was developed through close collaboration between researchers and community partners, ensuring it addressed the needs and challenges of HHM families.
●Two-Generation Approach: RSG involves both teachers and parents in supporting children’s EF development, providing consistent messaging and reinforcement across different contexts.
●Use of Multiple EF Measures: The study employed a battery of EF tasks to assess children’s skills comprehensively, reducing measurement error and bias.
The study also acknowledges limitations, such as:
●Challenges with Individual Coaching: Logistical constraints limited the consistent implementation of the individual coaching component.
●Potential for Intervention Spread: In the community preschool with two classrooms, there’s a possibility that RSG content may have spread to the comparison classroom, potentially underestimating the program’s true impact.
●Limited Measurement of Self-Control Improvements: The study relied on a single item to assess perceived improvements in children’s self-control, which could be expanded in future research
What is the article Umbrella synthesis of meta-analyses on child maltreatment antecedents and interventions: differential susceptibility perspective on risk and resilience about?
Thousands of studies, involving a combined total of nearly 1.5 million participants, were included in this review.
It identified these key risk factors
1. Intergenerational Transmission of Maltreatment. (Parents who experienced maltreatment in their own childhood have a significantly increased risk of maltreating their children)
2. Intimate Partner Violence (Childrens in families with IPV have higher risk of maltreatment)
3. Parental Personality
4. SES Low SES is a robust risk factor, particularly for child neglect.
It assed the effectiveness of interventions and found out that
- Interventions aimed at preventing or reducing child maltreatment have shown limited overall effectiveness
- Parent training programs that equip parents with skills to manage challenging child behaviour and set appropriate limits appear to be more effective than interventions solely providing support.
It also found the following gaps in knowledge
1. Neurobiological Antecedents
2. Prenatal Maltreatment
3. Differential Suspectibility
4. Soicioeconomic Interventions effectiveness
What are the most important conclusions on school and technology-based interventions?
Heterogeneous outcomes**
Age, type of intervention, type of student and type of teacher influences outcomes
**Most did not assess change in resilience:
No definition of resilience, no actual measurement of better mental health to future stress
Methodological weak**
Small samples, publication bias, no follow-ups, no baselines, no control groups
**Small effects, possible iatrogenic effects of universal school-wide approaches
What are examples of the interventions at the macro level?
1. Housing First
- housing first: financial problems in families are one of the ost important risk factors for young people, for instance child abuse, deprivation, loneliness (in finland for instance there was a big problem of homelessness, the country decided to completely change its policy; homeless people first had to show that they had their life on track and then would get rewarded a house, etc. so the house was a reward
→ but a house should be unconditional, being warm and having a stable place to live in is a basic necessity for every individual so they decided to change it around. they built flats and buildings for people and completely changed the policy around where everyone was eligible to become a tenant/hire a room. as a result of this the number of homeless people in finland has fallen by more than 35%)
- Universal Basic Income
Relates to the idea that people, regardless of having a job or not, they can apply for basic income. critics of the universal basic income are worried that if you provide people with income that that would lead to a reduction in their participation in the workforce; basically people who get funding don’t work anymore. researchers from the stanford basic income lab did research of what is known in literature and studies conducted and found that generally basic income type of programmes in the western world but also in other countries have been found to alleviate poverty and to improve health and wellbeing in individuals and that the effects on the labor market participation are only very minimal, suggesting again that universal basic income could be a way through which we can help families build family resilience, builds community resilience and thereby also help build resilience in children.
What is the role of addressing povery in child maltreatment?
*A negative earnings shock of > 30% led to~ 18% increased likelihood of CPS involvement
*Social benefits as supplemental income buffered against the risk of child maltreatment (esp. children ages 0–4)
How can Racism affect health?
Racism can affect health in multiple ways: *Residence in poor neighborhoods
*Less opportunities
*Racial bias in medical care
*The stress of experiences of discrimination
*Societal stigma
Schools and policy makers play a crucial role in reducing (the effects of) systemic racism
What are Hobfoll’s intervention principles after mass trauma and/or disaster?
Five intervention principles (Hobfoll et al., 2007):
1.promote a sense of safety
2.promote calming
3.promote a sense of self-and collective efficacy
4.promote connectedness
5.promote hope
What are important things to do after mass trauma or disaster?
Five intervention principles (Hobfoll et al., 2007) and
*Keep families together or reunite family members as quickly as possible
*Consider families when planning for disasters
*Parents and teachers should be considered first responders
*Don’t intervene too much or too soon
What are the most important points of the book not mentioned in the lectures?
*Resilience is common
*Adaptive systems can be hijacked
*No child is invulnerable
*Perturbations in systems provide potential for positive and negative change
