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Evidence for the Protective and Compensatory Functions of Resilience in Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

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Abstract

Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are more likely to engage in behavior problems than children without IDD. In the present study, we explored whether adverse life experiences and events were related to child behavioral and emotional problems. We also examined whether child resilience would act as a protective factor in this putative association between adverse experiences and child behavioral and emotional problems. Mothers of 310 children with IDD aged between 4 and 15 years old completed a cross-sectional online survey including measures of exposure to adverse life experiences, child resilience, and behavior and emotional problems. In moderated multiple regression models, we found that exposure to adverse life experiences had a positive association with child behavior problems and peer problems and that these associations were moderated by child resilience. Resilience served a protective function—lowering risk of problems for children exposed to adversity. Child resilience also served a compensatory function, being directly associated with fewer conduct and emotional problems and increased pro-social behavior. Child resilience may be an important factor in understanding the behavior and emotional problems of children with IDD. Further, especially longitudinal, research is needed. Interventions designed to increase children’s resilience may be beneficial for children with IDD.

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Funding

This study was funded by a Ph.D. scholarship awarded to EH funded by Bangor University.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bangor University, Bangor, Wales, UK

    Elizabeth J. Halstead & Gemma M. Griffith

  2. School of Health and Social Care, University of Sunderland in London, London, UK

    Elizabeth J. Halstead

  3. Centre for Educational Development Appraisal and Research, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

    Richard P. Hastings

  4. Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Scenic Blvd, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia

    Richard P. Hastings

Authors
  1. Elizabeth J. Halstead
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  2. Richard P. Hastings
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  3. Gemma M. Griffith
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Contributions

EH conceived of the study, conducted analysis, and drafted the manuscript. GMG conceived of the study, assisted with data collection, and provided feedback on manuscript drafts. RPH conceived of the study, provided feedback on data analysis, and assisted with drafting the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth J. Halstead.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional review board at both the School of Psychology, Bangor University, Wales, and the National Review Ethics Committee of the Health Research Authority, UK, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Halstead, E.J., Hastings, R.P. & Griffith, G.M. Evidence for the Protective and Compensatory Functions of Resilience in Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Adv Neurodev Disord 2, 216–223 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-018-0065-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-018-0065-5

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