Risk and Resiliency

1
Risk and Resiliency

• Family and Neighborhood Impact on Problem
  Behavior in Children
• 10 of children have difficulty with
  hyperactivity, 9.7 conduct, and 8.7 emotional
  disorders
• Both family and neighborhood characteristics
  likely affect problem behaviors
• Theory suggests that neighbourhoods have more of
  an impact than families on problem behaviors
• Researchers used data from the NLSCY to study
  family and neighborhood impacts on problem
  behaviour of 4-11 year olds (Boyle Lipman).

2

• Found that family variables had greater impact
  than neighborhood on problem behaviors
• Single-parent families were strongly related to
  conduct, emotional, and hyperactivity problems
• As SES increased behavior problems decreased
• Only one neighborhood factor was related to all
  problem behaviors
• Proportion of single-parent families
• Poverty of neighborhood was not related to
  problem behaviors
• More single-parent families in a neighborhood
  increases problem behaviors in children
• low-income, unemployment, family stressors
• Focus more on disadvantaged families
  (single-parent) than neighborhoods

3

• School Readiness and Neighbourhood
• Children who are not prepared for school tend to
  have low achievement and grade failure.
• Neighborhoods that provide supportive networks,
  accessible services, and reinforcement of
  positive behaviors can increase school readiness.
• Used NLSCY data to look at the impact of
  neighborhood and family on childrens (aged 2-5)
  cognitive and behavioral abilities (Kohen
  Hertzman)
• Neighborhood factors affluence, safety, percent
  of single-mother families, cohesion
• Family factors income, maternal education,
  single-mother status.

4

• Children living in neighborhoods with more
  affluent families had better cognitive and
  behavioral scores
• Neighborhoods with most single-parent families
  had children with lowest cognitive behavioral
  scores, even when family status and SES are taken
  into account.
• Children from less cohesive neighborhoods were
  less ready for school
• Neighborhoods do influence school readiness
• Affluence, safety, percent of single-mothers,
  cohesion, maternal education
• Neighborhood effects larger at older ages (not
  toddlers)
• Intervention target both family and neighborhood
• Availability of recreation spaces (parks,
  community centers), accessibility of programs and
  services, quality childcare, after-school
  programs.

5

• Immigrant Children and Mental Health
• ¼ million immigrants to Canada each year
• 20 are children
• Adaptation uprooting, new cultures, language,
  apply skills in a new environment
• 30 of immigrant families in Canada are poor vs
  13 of Canadians
• Obstacles for immigrant parents
• Lack Canadian experience, language, credentials
  not recognized, discrimination, less mobility and
  opportunities for advancement
• During the first 10 years the majority of
  immigrants are poor, but once they adapt their
  income is higher than Canadians

6

• Due to this adaptation and poverty, one may
  expect immigrant children to have poorer mental
  health.
• Using data from NLSCY, found that even though
  more immigrant children are poor, they have
  better mental health than Canadian children
  (Beiser et al.)
• After adaptation, they do well at school and
  outperform Canadian children and more likely to
  be valedictorians
• Why are immigrant children so resilient?
• Effect of poverty is worse for Canadian than
  immigrant children
• Poor Canadian children tend to be from
  dysfunctional single-parent families, mental
  illness, alcohol abuse, poor parenting skills,
  which affect mental health of children
• Immigrant families, although poor, provide
  emotional support and stability

7

• Close Relationships and Behavior Problems
• Many children in stressful home situations cope
  as well as other children, why?
• Hypothesis affectionate relationships with
  others (non-parent) buffers against difficult
  behaviors (Jenkins Keating)
• Compared behavioral problems of high-risk and
  low-risk children
• Marriage dissatisfaction, divorce, low income,
  parental depression, 4 children, mother
  child born, ineffective parenting, parent alcohol
  abuse, child has LD
• 10 yr olds with many risks but good relationships
  (siblings, friends, teachers) had less behavior
  problems than those with poor relationships.

8

• Relationships with teachers had strongest
  associations with behaviors, particularly for
  boys
• Among all risk groups, boys who had a poor
  relationship with their teacher had worst
  behaviors
• Boys less likely to have close relationships, at
  risk
• 2 or more close relationships better than 1 for
  10 yr olds but not 6 yr olds.
• Need for support increases with age
• Important for teachers to develop good
  relationships with all students, especially boys
• Children should be taught how to form good
  relationships with others, interventions to help
  develop supportive relationships