The hope in her eyes: The role of children in Afghan women's resilience.

Abstract

Although responsibility for the care, nurturance, and protection of children can sometimes be viewed as an additional stress in the lives of at-risk women, this article describes the ways in which children act as protective factors in support of Afghan women's resilience. The qualitative data presented come from 110 interviews collected in Pakistan and Afghanistan between December 2001 and July 2002 with Afghan women, children, and men associated with the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA). RAWA, founded in 1977, is an Afghan women's underground resistance organization that promotes resilience through humanitarian and political activities. An iterative coding framework was developed to identify and explore processes of resilience and domain specific stressors (risks) and resources (protective factors). This article discusses the role of children as protective factors for women and RAWA. Although this article explores a unique setting and context, the authors argue that attention to children's role as protective factors may provide an important, strengths-based approach and a useful mechanism to bolster women's resilience in an array of other contexts and conflicts.

Risk and Protective Factors Among Palestinian Women Living in a Context of Prolonged Armed Conflict and Political Oppression

“…The mother-child relationship emerged as a key contributor to functioning that fostered both subjective well-being and mutual support (Qouta et al, 2005). These findings seemed to confirm motherhood, parenting, and the presence of children as a protective factor and a source of resilience and agency for women dealing with armed conflicts (Brodsky et al, 2012;Katengwa, 2014;Robertson & Duckett, 2007).…”

“…The sense of helplessness resulting from mothers’ inabilities to effectively care for their children causes significant distress and insecurity for women (Ajduković, 1996; Berman, Giron, & Marroquin, 2009; Kaitz, Levy, Ebstein, Faraone, & Mankuta, 2009; Pavlish, 2005; Punamäki, 2006; Robertson & Duckett, 2007; Shachar-Dadon, Gueron-Sela, Weintraub, Maayan-Metzger, & Leshem, 2017). Caring for their children and providing for their safety and security during wartime are extremely challenging, to the degree that parenting is perceived as an additional burden (Brodsky et al, 2012; Qouta et al, 2005; Robertson & Duckett, 2007). Yet, at the same time, as the sense of meaning and responsibility within motherhood represents a hardship, it may also represent a key protective factor against the negative consequences of war trauma for mothers (Qouta et al, 2005; Smith, Perrin, Yule, & Rabe-Hesketh, 2001; Walsh, 2003) and a source of resilience (Baines, 2014; Brodsky et al, 2012; Wyche et al, 2011).…”

“…Caring for their children and providing for their safety and security during wartime are extremely challenging, to the degree that parenting is perceived as an additional burden (Brodsky et al, 2012; Qouta et al, 2005; Robertson & Duckett, 2007). Yet, at the same time, as the sense of meaning and responsibility within motherhood represents a hardship, it may also represent a key protective factor against the negative consequences of war trauma for mothers (Qouta et al, 2005; Smith, Perrin, Yule, & Rabe-Hesketh, 2001; Walsh, 2003) and a source of resilience (Baines, 2014; Brodsky et al, 2012; Wyche et al, 2011).…”

The parenting process in Syrian refugees: A grounded theory study.

“…The theory highlights a recovery process for refugee parents who begin early in their journey. Parents’ resilience is likely to be something that can be strengthened by focusing upon existing strengths (Brodsky et al, 2012; Deng & Marlowe, 2013). Firstly, the message to consider resilience, rather than assume trauma, could be more widely communicated to service providers, including those offering mental health and psychosocial support throughout the process.…”

Refuge and Resilience

“…Single parent refugees are at high risk of isolation and its mental health consequences, especially if they are not proficient in the official language(s) of their settlement countries (Lenette et al 2012). Children can also act as "a resource and opportunity for resilience (Brodsky et al 2012)" by providing women with strong motivation to connect to family and community. In Canada, most immigrant and refugee families that have experienced homelessness are single mother headed households (Paradis et al 2008).…”