Teaching Resilience to Children in Australia

Teaching Resilience to Children in Australia

Resilience interventions are recommended to address the psychological distress experienced by children in Australia. However, it is still unclear how best to teach resilience. This research contained a systematic literature review analysing 9 quantitative studies since 2017 that explored Australian resilience interventions for children aged 8-14. Intervention designs were explored by comparing program elements to key areas that contribute to building resilience in children and considering ecological reach. Outcomes were also recorded. Additionally, this research evaluated the Bouncing Back Resiliency Workshop, a locally designed resilience intervention for children. The workshop was delivered to a grade 5 class in a Queensland Primary School. Participants included students (n = 11), their parents, and teacher. The mixed methods study design included exploring the workshop contents, recommending improvements, and measuring changes pre- to post-program. Overall, Australian resilience interventions are addressing individual resilience factors but neglecting family and community factors. Positive outcomes include increased resilience, reduced symptoms of psychopathology, and increased factors contributing to resilience. It is strongly recommended that resilience programs continue to be designed from an ecological perspective and delivered to children in Australia. The Bouncing Back Resiliency Workshop demonstrated increased resilience and reduced emotional and behavioural problems in children. These findings are most notable because the participating children were experiencing high levels of adversity. These findings indicate that the Bouncing Back Resiliency Workshop is an effective intervention for increasing resilience and reducing emotional and behavioural problems. It is recommended that further exploration of the workshop includes a larger, more varied sample and a control group.

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