Hi – thank you for visiting my page of resources for my book Resilience Not Included: How To Help Your Kids Bounce Back. There are Resources included in the book, but as we all know, the internet changes daily. We will do our best to keep this page updated. You can help. If you find a link in the book or here that no longer works, please let us know.

Thoughts on Midwestern Values: http://cactuswrangler.com/about-2/

Emily Bazelon, A Question of Resilience http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A05E0DD163EF937A25756C0A9609C8B63

Researchers began in the late 20^th century to focus on the idea of Resilience – the ability to bounce back after adversity.

Here are references for your further study. The factors I chose for this book came from reviewing these resources and from my own personal experience. Each article notes differing qualities, but all note similar threads of thought and causality. The list isn’t complete. A simple search on “Resilience Studies” will yield thousands of pages of research.

Resilience is defined as the inner capacity to cope with stressors in a positive way. If resilient, able to manage past, present, and future stressful events. You use your inner resources to remain competent, skillful, and focused on your goals in the face of adversity. You also recover more quickly than less resilient people.

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Glen Elder and Rand Conger examined data from rural Iowa to learn how the farm crisis of the 1980s and 1990s affected children growing up at that time. They found a significant number were on paths to successful development and life achievement. Most grew up to be academically successful and law-abiding.

Elder & Conger identified five factors in common:

1. Strong intergenerational bounds (Parents and children interact socially and at work on a daily basis.)
2. Being encouraged and raised with productive roles in work and social leadership; stressing of non-material goals (4H, Young Farmers, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Church)
3. Network of positive engagement in church, school, and community life
4. Close ties with grandparents, support from grandparents
5. Strong family connections with the community

The Iowa Youth and Families Project
Glen H. Elder, Rand D. Conger (2000): Children of the Land: Adversity and Success in Rural America. University of Chicago Press
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/studies/26721

 

ANN MASTEN, a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota presented her research findings on keys to Resilience for the Canada Education Association http://www.cea-ace.ca/sites/cea-ace.ca/files/EdCan-2009-v49-n3-Masten.pdf

Short List of Resilience Factors (with Implicated Human Adaptive Systems)

Positive attachment bonds with caregivers (attachment; family)

Positive relationships with other nurturing and competent adults (attachment)

Intellectual skills (integrated cognitive systems of a human brain in good working order)

Self-regulation skills (self-control systems and related executive functions of the human brain)

Positive self-perceptions; self-efficacy (mastery motivation system)

Faith, hope, and a sense of meaning in life (meaning-making systems of belief)

Friends or romantic partners who are supportive and prosocial (attachment)

• Bonds to effective schools and other pro-social organizations (socio-cultural systems)

Communities with positive services and supports for families and children (socio-cultural)

Cultures that provide positive standards, rituals, relationships, and supports (sociocultural)

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Garmezy (1973) published the first research findings on resilience. He used epidemiology, which is the study of who gets ill, who doesn’t, and why, to uncover the risks and the protective factors that now help define resilience. Garmezy and Streitman (1974) then created tools to look at systems that support development of resilience.

Garmezy, N. (1973). “Competence and adaptation in adult schizophrenic patients and children at risk”, pp. 163–204 in Dean, S. R. (Ed.), Schizophrenia: The first ten Dean Award Lectures. NY: MSS Information Corp.

The Construct of Resilience: A Critical Evaluation and Guidelines for Future Work
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1885202/

Emmy Werner (1982) was one of the early scientists to use the term Resilience in the 1970s. She studied a cohort of children from Kauai, Hawaii and discovered that one third of the children seemed to thrive better than the rest over a period of decades. Her work identifies the qualities and coping mechanisms of the children.

Werner, E. E. (1971). The children of Kauai : a longitudinal study from the prenatal period to age ten. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press

More on the Hawaii Study:
http://psychcentral.com/lib/learning-from-resilient-kids/

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The American Psychological Association suggests “10 Ways to Build Resilience”,
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx

1. Maintaining good relationships with close family members, friends and others;
2. Avoid seeing crises or stressful events as unbearable problems;
3. Accept circumstances that cannot be changed;
4. Develop realistic goals and move towards them;
5. Take decisive actions in adverse situations;
6. Look for opportunities of self-discovery after a struggle with loss;
7. Develop self-confidence;
8. Keep a long-term perspective and consider the stressful event in a broader context;
9. Maintain a hopeful outlook, expecting good things and visualizing what’s wished;
10. Take care of one’s mind and body, exercising regularly, paying attention to one’s own needs and feelings.

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A Review of Resilience Research through 2007
https://go.sdsu.edu/education/doc/files/01370-ResiliencyLiteratureReview(SDSU).pdf

Article on Research and Solutions for Individuals seeking higher levels of Resilience:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviatemin/2015/08/31/resilience-new-research-helps-us-bounce-back-quicker-better-from-lifes-trials-and-tragedies/#1961769625bc

Interesting book on Resilience and the Science of Mastering Life’s Challenges: https://www.amazon.com/Resilience-Science-Mastering-Greatest-Challenges/dp/0521195632

Mayo Clinic offers insights on Resilience and Adaptability. Their advice for individuals:

• Get connected
• Make every day meaningful
• Learn from experience
• Remain hopeful
• Take care of yourself
• Be proactive

More Links for further Study from Mayo:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/resilience-training/basics/definition/prc-20013967

Build skills to endure hardship http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/resilience-training/in-depth/resilience/art-20046311

Tips to improve your resilience

http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/resilience-training/in-depth/resilience/art-20046311?pg=2

Dr. Amit Sood’s groundbreaking research on Resilience: Sood Provides Training through Mayo — http://stressfree.org/programs/smart/

Dr. Sood’s Philosophy and background

“After years of studying and learning from patients, students, spiritual luminaries, scientists, and philosophers, gradually a theme emerged. I realized that human suffering is often not caused by our conscious thoughts and actions. A high proportion of our suffering originates in the automatic innate mechanisms of our brain and mind that evolved to provide us survival advantage in the treacherous past. The brain and mind work very hard to keep us dissatisfied and stressed, effortlessly bypassing happiness. Our suffering is nobody’s fault, yet we all can do something about it. This realization was as inspiring as it was empowering.

“Currently, a tremendous gap exists between the scientific understanding of our brain and mind’s workings, and how we live life or treat patients. I believe helping patients and others understand our brain and mind’s maladaptive mechanisms is the first step to overcome them. I also believe that the relaxation programs that were developed several thousand years ago may not be easy or even appropriate for the modern minds, since the 21st century brains are wired very differently.”

Video of Dr. Sood speaking about Resilience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzZXhVzpaxg

Additional Notes and Sources

• Importance of Technical and Vocational Training for some children, http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/opinion/editorials/article140365283.html
• American Psychological Association. (2014). The Road to Resilience.
• Rutter, M. (2008). “Developing concepts in developmental psychopathology”, pp. 3–22 in J.J. Hudziak (ed.), Developmental psychopathology and wellness: Genetic and environmental influences. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing
• Block, J. H., & Block, J. (1980). “The role of ego-control and ego-resiliency in the origination of behavior”, pp. 39–101 in W. A. Collings (Ed.) The Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology. Vol. 13. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Klohnen, E. C. (1996). “Conceptual analysis and measurement of the construct of ego-resiliency”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 70 (5): 1067–79. doi:1037/0022-3514.70.5.1067. PMID8656335.
• Werner, E., & Smith, R. S. (1992). Overcoming the odds: high risk children from birth to adulthood. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
• Wolin, S. J., & Wolin, S. (1993). Bound and Determined: Growing up resilient in a troubled family. New York: Villard.
• Hopf S.M (2010). “Risk and Resilience in Children Coping with Parental Divorce”. Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science.
• Pedro-Carroll, JoAnne (2005). “Fostering children’s resilience in the aftermath of divorce: The role of evidence-based programs for children” (PDF). Children’s Institute, University of Rochester. p. 4. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
• Baker, K. H.; Minchoff, B.; Dillon, K. M. (1985). “Positive Emotional States and Enhancement of the Immune System”. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine 15: 13–18. doi:2190/R7FD-URN9-PQ7F-A6J7.
• Duckworth, A.L.; Peterson, C.; Matthews, M.D.; Kelly, D.R. (2007). “Grit: perseverance and passion for long-term goals.”. J Pers Soc Psychol 92 (6): 11087–1101. doi:1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087.
• Silvia, P.J.; Eddington, K.M.; Beaty, R.E.; Nusbaum, E.C.; Kwapil, T.R. (2013). “Gritty people try harder: grit and effort-related cardiac autonomic activity during an active coping challenge”. J Int J Psychophysiol 88 (2): 200–205. doi:1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.04.007.
• Salles, A.; Cohen, G.L.; Mueller, C.M. (2014). “The relationship between grit and resident well-being”. Am J Surg 207 (2): 251–254. doi:1016/j.amjsurg.2013.09.006. PMID24238604.
• Kleinman, E.M.; Adams, L.M.; Kashdan, T.B.; Riskind, J.H. (2013). “Gratitude and grit indirectly reduce risk of suicidal ideations by enhancing meaning in life: Evidence for a mediated moderation mode”. Journal of Research in Personality 47 (5): 539–546. doi:1016/j.jrp.2013.04.007.
• Sarkar, M.; Fletcher, D. (2014). “Ordinary magic, extraordinary performance: Psychological resilience and thriving in high achievers”. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology 3: 46–60. doi:1037/spy0000003.
• Sapouna, M.; Wolke, D. (2013). “Resilience to bullying victimization: The role of individual, family and peer characteristics”. Child Abuse & Neglect 37 (11): 997–1006. doi:1016/j.chiabu.2013.05.009.
• Schneider, T. R.; Lyons, J. B.; Khazon, S. (2013). “Emotional intelligence and resilience”. Personality and Individual Differences 55 (8): 909–914. doi:1016/j.paid.2013.07.460