The development of social adaptation

Stress and resilience

17th of January

Program

Information about the course content, and lectures

Information about the seminars and exams

Introduction to resilience

- What is resilience about? Summary

Resilience

Definition of resilience What is resilience

about? Research on

resilience Resilience processes Risks and protective

factors

What is resilience?

Resilience

Resilience are defined as:

……positive adaptation in the context of sigificant risk or adversity………

”Resiliens er prosesser som gjør at utviklingen når et tilfredsstillende resultat, til tross for at barn har hatt erfaringer med situasjoner som innebærer en relativt stor risiko for å utvikle problemer eller avvik” (Rutter 2000)

Understanding Resilience

Two main components:

1) There must be evidence for positive adaptation, and

2) That there are or have been significant risk to overcome

What is positive adaptation?

“doing okay” Researchers have provided a variety of

criteria’s.- Absence of mental health problems, or- Competence in developmental tasks

Resilience

Resilience is not a constant phenomenon, a person may be resilient at one time, but this does not mean that this person is invulnerable to other risks later in life.

Individuals may be resilient to some environmental hazards but not others; resilience cannot be identified as an individual trait.

Research on resilience

A new focus:

From studying maladaptation to adaptation The rise of a new research focus Longitudinal research design

Research on resilience

Psychosocial risks

Protective factor

Biological risks

Behavioural outcome

Longitudinal studies

example: Werner and Smith (1977; 1982; 1992; 2001)

- Kauai study White and colleges (1990)

- Dunedin study Tremblay and colleges (1992, 2000) - Montrealstudy The norwegian MoBa study

Resilience processes

Vulnerability and risk- The compensating modell

Risk

Psychosocial Adaptation

Interventions

( s 42, Resiliens, 2005)

Protection model

Risk Psychosocial outcome

Protective factor

(S 43, Resiliens, 2005)

Risk and protective factors

Individual differences Family characteristics Community Resources

Risk factors

Research have identified factors or criteria’s to predict higher rates of negative outcomes, than others

Risks and stress does not necessary lead to difficulties

Risks should be characterized in relation to relevance, type and seriousness.

Individual differences

- Biological or genetic predispositions- Premature birth- IQ- Gender- Temperament- Personality

Family characteristics

Mental illness in parents Addiction to alcohol or drugs Socio economic status Maternal education Disharmony/divorce Neglect Family size

Divorce

Community

War Violence within the community Poverty

Protective factors

- Reduce the effect of the risk factors- Sustain and establish a positive self

image.

Protective qualities

Positive network/organization Individual differences Positive relationships Competences Social support ”Sence of coherence”

Community resources

Eks: Quality of schools and day care centres Social networks Good social services and health care

Individual qualities

Eks: Cognitive abilities Positive temperament Self-esteem Competence in example sports Personality Self-regulation skills Positive outlook on life At least one secure attachment Having friends

Self-esteem

Family characteristics

Eks: Higher education Less than 4 siblings Good economy Social support from siblings Parental style Maternal warmth

Parent-child relations

Multiple Risks, Higer Risks?

Multi-risk modell

Multiple risk factors increases the possibility for maladaptation

E-Risk study

Kim-Cohen, Moffitt, Caspi og Taylor, (the E-Risk study)()

Investigated outgoing temperament and maternal warmth as protective factors in children living under low SES.

Low SES was associated with low IQ and higher antisocial behavior.

Resilience against low SES, was found to be partly heritable, Hence protective factors was connected to both environment and protective factors.

Factors

Resilience involves understanding underlying processes or mechanisms

There is a need to understand interaction between individual differences and the environment (nature/nurture)

Thus: Resilience is the study of individual differences

in response to stress or adversity.

Example: Genotype and environment Dunedin study, Caspi, et al 2002. This study examined the association between

antisocial behaviour and maltreatment in childhood.

Results showed- more severe maltreatment, more engangement in antisocial behaviour.

Low activity in the MAOA gene- reported more stronger effect

Interaction nature/nurture

Summary

Resilience is a process in witch a person must be “doing okay” after overcoming severe risks

One must look at resilience indirectly examining underlying mechanisms in the environment and the person.

Risk and protective factors interact and can intervene or enhance each other.