Lecture 1: short history of resilience science
Several studies:
The pandemic has had an effect on young people, growing up. The
pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and
depression worldwide
People living in the region that was most effected by an earthquake
were also suffering from stigma by other people. A natural disaster
can have a big effect on the mental health of people
Researches researched the effect on war, building up from 2014,
from people who lived in those areas in which the build-up was the
strongest
31,7% of those with a war related trauma also reported childhood
adversity (negatives things) such as abuse and neglect in the home
environment
Ecological systems theory: shows that
physical environment, social environment
and individual factors all are connected in
a disaster.
When we talk about trauma we often
think about child abuse, neglect, but also growing up with parents who
struggle with their mental health. It is a really broad term, that might
change if you look at a different culture and time.
Childhood adversities account for 30% of all adult disorders across
countries. So childhood trauma can cause psychological disorders.
Resilience: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. How good the
rebound is. In the field of psychology this research started by Norman
Garmezy, Emily Werner and Michael Rutter. They were all traumatized by
WW2.
Emily Werner she researched the children of Kauai. 200 of these
children were classified as high risk for adult mental problems. 2/3 had
significant problems at age 10 or 18. So 1/3 showed resilience.
Resilience research is a combination of disease model and prevented
model. What is it that some children who experience adversity, violence
and trauma develop poorly, whilst others do not?
,Resilience research asks 3 questions:
1. Who stays well and recovers well?
2. How?
3. How can we promote and protect health and positive development?
The four waves
In the resilience research we know four waves. Namely resilience in 1970,
1990, 2007 and 2017. We will discuss all four waves.
Resilience in 1970-
Descriptive wave
What questions
Definition was: ‘just doing well in the context of risk’.
Questions that go well with this wave are:
What is resilience?
How do we measure it?
What makes a difference?
This wave focused on individual factors. But it did not give any clues on
how it worked. It had a person focused model of resilience says
that the social environment around people very important is. What are the
things that determined that Harry Potters live got better? (going to
Hogwarts).
CA+ (childhood No CA
adversities)
P (patients) Vulnerable Patients
HC (health control) resilient healthy
The third row is part of the expanded classic model.
The Children of Kauai study used the classic model. They found that the
1/3 that showed resilience had better cognitive skills and a higher self-
confidence.
Late bloomers: those individuals who didn’t do good at first, but then
later in adulthood they did.
Resilience in 1990-
Process wave
How questions
Questions that go well with this wave:
How do protective influences work?
, How is positive development promoted?
This wave started to focus on the developmental and ecological systems.
variable focused model of resilience. But this wave was unable to
inform interventions.
There are four models we need to discuss, namely main effects model,
mediation model, moderation model and the risk activated moderation
model.
Main effects model
When there is a childhood adversity
this can effect the well-being. But
friendships also effects the well-being.
Interventions related to this model
include:
Preventing the risk factor from
occurring
Adding assets that may
compensate for the presence of
risk
Shifting the continuous variable
toward the positive end
Mediation model
The effect of childhood adversity on well-
being goes through a mediator, a new
factor. This new factor can be friendships.
Moderation model
Assumes that the relationship between two
variables, childhood adversity and well-
being, is influenced by a new variable, like
support from teachers.
Several studies:
The pandemic has had an effect on young people, growing up. The
pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and
depression worldwide
People living in the region that was most effected by an earthquake
were also suffering from stigma by other people. A natural disaster
can have a big effect on the mental health of people
Researches researched the effect on war, building up from 2014,
from people who lived in those areas in which the build-up was the
strongest
31,7% of those with a war related trauma also reported childhood
adversity (negatives things) such as abuse and neglect in the home
environment
Ecological systems theory: shows that
physical environment, social environment
and individual factors all are connected in
a disaster.
When we talk about trauma we often
think about child abuse, neglect, but also growing up with parents who
struggle with their mental health. It is a really broad term, that might
change if you look at a different culture and time.
Childhood adversities account for 30% of all adult disorders across
countries. So childhood trauma can cause psychological disorders.
Resilience: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. How good the
rebound is. In the field of psychology this research started by Norman
Garmezy, Emily Werner and Michael Rutter. They were all traumatized by
WW2.
Emily Werner she researched the children of Kauai. 200 of these
children were classified as high risk for adult mental problems. 2/3 had
significant problems at age 10 or 18. So 1/3 showed resilience.
Resilience research is a combination of disease model and prevented
model. What is it that some children who experience adversity, violence
and trauma develop poorly, whilst others do not?
,Resilience research asks 3 questions:
1. Who stays well and recovers well?
2. How?
3. How can we promote and protect health and positive development?
The four waves
In the resilience research we know four waves. Namely resilience in 1970,
1990, 2007 and 2017. We will discuss all four waves.
Resilience in 1970-
Descriptive wave
What questions
Definition was: ‘just doing well in the context of risk’.
Questions that go well with this wave are:
What is resilience?
How do we measure it?
What makes a difference?
This wave focused on individual factors. But it did not give any clues on
how it worked. It had a person focused model of resilience says
that the social environment around people very important is. What are the
things that determined that Harry Potters live got better? (going to
Hogwarts).
CA+ (childhood No CA
adversities)
P (patients) Vulnerable Patients
HC (health control) resilient healthy
The third row is part of the expanded classic model.
The Children of Kauai study used the classic model. They found that the
1/3 that showed resilience had better cognitive skills and a higher self-
confidence.
Late bloomers: those individuals who didn’t do good at first, but then
later in adulthood they did.
Resilience in 1990-
Process wave
How questions
Questions that go well with this wave:
How do protective influences work?
, How is positive development promoted?
This wave started to focus on the developmental and ecological systems.
variable focused model of resilience. But this wave was unable to
inform interventions.
There are four models we need to discuss, namely main effects model,
mediation model, moderation model and the risk activated moderation
model.
Main effects model
When there is a childhood adversity
this can effect the well-being. But
friendships also effects the well-being.
Interventions related to this model
include:
Preventing the risk factor from
occurring
Adding assets that may
compensate for the presence of
risk
Shifting the continuous variable
toward the positive end
Mediation model
The effect of childhood adversity on well-
being goes through a mediator, a new
factor. This new factor can be friendships.
Moderation model
Assumes that the relationship between two
variables, childhood adversity and well-
being, is influenced by a new variable, like
support from teachers.
