Resilience in Families with Children and Adult Members with Intellectual Disabilities: Tracing Elements of A Psycho‐Social Model

Abstract

Aim This paper seeks to illumine how families with children and adult members with intellectual disabilities manage to manifest a buoyant and durable capacity over time. It is therefore concerned centrally with the idea of resilience. Method Drawing from diverse theoretical literatures from child development and protection and gerontology, the paper begins with a review of constructions of resilience. In an attempt to assess where there seems to be support for resilience in families, the core of the paper tests empirical evidence about positive experiences of families supporting children and adults with intellectual disabilities against the theoretical literature on resilience. Result and Conclusions The findings are used to suggest conditions under which resilience is produced and maintained, and to identify emergent elements of a psycho‐social model of resilience in families with children and adult members with intellectual disabilities.

Indicativos de resiliência familiar em famílias de crianças com síndrome de Down

“…Esse resultado sugere que pais e mães utilizam estratégias de coping positivas ou eficazes, o que pode potencializar o processo de resiliência familiar, conforme indica a literatura (Grant et al, 2007;Lazarus & Folkman, 1984;Van Riper, 2007).…”

“…A resiliência familiar pode ser investigada associando-se também outros fatores, tais como as estratégias de coping (Grant, Ramcharan, & Flynn, 2007;Lazarus & Folkman, 1984;Van Riper, 2007). Essas estratégias referem-se a um conjunto de esforços cognitivos e comportamentais exercidos pelos indivíduos com o objetivo de lidar com demandas específicas, internas e externas, que surgem em situações de estresse e são avaliadas como sobrecarregando ou excedendo seus recursos pessoais (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984).…”

Whose responsibility? Resilience in families of children with developmental disabilities

“…Resilience in families of children with developmental disabilities has been widely discussed in the literature (Al-Krenawi, Graham, and Gharaibeh 2011;Bayat 2007;Grant, Ramcharan, and Flynn 2007;Levine 2009;Lloyd and Hastings 2009;Disability & Society 923 Retzleff 2007;Rolland and Walsh 2006). However, the concept of resilience still cannot be aligned 'to a single overarching theory' (Grant, Ramcharan, and Flynn 2007, 563).…”

Receiving the Initial Down Syndrome Diagnosis: A Comparison of Prenatal and Postnatal Parent Group Experiences

“…Using a nondeficit (Grant, Ramcharan, & Flynn, 2007) and qualitative (Creswell, Hanson, Plano Clark, & Morales, 2007;Patton, 2002) research model, the current study sought to explore the early experiences of parents of children with DS, specifically at the time of their child's initial diagnosis. Ultimately, we wanted to understand the experience of receiving the DS diagnosis, whether prenatal or postnatal.…”