Understanding Child Abuse Part 2

Day 2 of Understanding Child Abuse discusses a resilience by parents and authority figures in order to break through and help a child.

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Parental Resilience – Resilience is defined as the ability to recover from setbacks, adapt well to change, and keep going in the face of adversity (Ovans, 2015).  Resilience is an important trait in parents because it determines their ability to cope with, not only, the daily stressors of life but also major crises or a pile-up of adverse events such as unemployment or underemployment, domestic violence, substance abuse, physical or mental health problems, and divorce and homelessness.  On the other hand, studies show that “community-level protective factors such as a positive community environment and economic opportunities serve to enhance parental resilience” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016b, p 15).  Everyone has the capacity to build resiliency by utilizing their inner strength and personal resources.  Having a sense of humor and hope, being able to communicate needs, having problems solving skills and being able to reach out to others, maintaining supportive and loving relationships, and believing in a higher power are just a few personal resources that serve in building parental resilience.

Extension programs can help build parental resiliency in the following ways:         

·       Provide resources to help parents understand the causes of stress and how it affects health, relationships, and family life.

·       Teach parents concrete skills to prevent stress, such as planning and goal setting, anticipating difficulties, problem-solving, communication, and self-care.

·       Link parents with resources for stress management, such as exercise opportunities, relaxation techniques, and venues for meditation or prayer.

·       Train staff to observe and assess children for early signs of child or family distress and respond to children and parents with encouragement and support

·       Partner with resources in the community that help families manage stress and deal with crises, including programs that offer family-to-family help for personalized, sustained support, as well as services such as mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, domestic violence programs, and self-help support groups (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2016b, p. 15-16).

Written By: Lisa Jo Shields, PhD, LMHC

Family Life and Child Development Specialist 

*References available upon request