Marilyn Lopes
Extension Specialist, Family Life Education
Cape Cod Cooperative Extension
University of Massachusetts
Copyright/Access Information
Why do a small number of children thrive under the same conditions
that
destroy other youngsters who are forced to endure them? Research
information pinpoints protective factors that help some children
surmount
bad experiences.
The Kauai Longitudinal Study (KLS), collecting data for more than
thirty
years, followed the development of 698 youngsters from birth to
adulthood,
concentrating on subjects when they were 1, 2, 10, 18 and between
30 and 32
years old.
Two-thirds of the multi-racial sample of children born on the
rural island
of Kauai in 1955 were delivered without complications and grew
up in
supportive families.
One-third of the children had problems around the time of birth
and were
raised in households struggling with poverty, marital discord
or break-up,
mental health problems or alcoholism, and headed by poorly-educated
parents.
By age 10, three out of four of these children in troubled environments
had
developed serious learning and/or behavioral problems. Before
age 18, many
had records of delinquency or had been pregnant.
One out of four of these unfortunate children - 30 boys and 42
girls - came
through unscathed. They have grown into "competent, confident
and caring
young adults," reports Emmy E. Werner in Zero to Three.
The researchers found that these resilient youngsters shared certain
personal characteristics from the beginning. They possessed temperaments
that worked in their favor and personalities that attracted favorable
attention from at least one adult who responded to them with affection
and
interest - especially during the first year of life.
The KLS study confirmed that a close childhood bond with at least
one
caretaker seemed to act as a life preserver which kept the child
afloat in
a turbulent environment.
This critical person was not necessarily a parent. A grandparent,
an older
sibling, a sitter, or a teacher could fill the role as long as
he or she
"accepted the child unconditionally, regardless of temperamental
idiosyncrasies, physical attractiveness, or intelligence."
Resilient children seem to share some appealing traits that
draw adults to them.
- They were active as infants, but also easy babies - affectionate,
not
fussy, and good eaters and sleepers.
- As toddlers, they combined a love of independence and autonomy
with
positive social skills. They were described as friendly and cheerful,
as
well as self-confident, determined, and aggressive.
The resilient children grew up in families where siblings were
separated in
age by at least two years and with no more than four children
in the
household.
- For boys, the position of eldest child was an important protective
factor.
- For girls, "the model of a mother who was steadily and
gainfully
employed" exerted a powerful influence.
The most recent follow-up of 545 subjects at age 30 showed
that these
special young people still shared characteristics that separated
them from
the high-risk peers who had developed major learning and behavior
problems
and whose later records included criminal activity, mental-health
difficulties and early pregnancies.
- Three out of four reported they are pleased with their current
lives.
- Eighty-six percent of the women are married mothers with full-time
jobs.
Only 50 percent of the men have chosen to become parents at this
point in
the study.
- Parents of both sexes agree that their strongest hope for their
own
children is that the youngsters "will acquire personal competence
and
skills."
Three major, "relatively enduring" protective factors
have enabled these
strong, resilient, well-functioning individuals to withstand the
troubles
that overwhelmed the others who faced them. These are attributes
such as
activity level, sociability, and intelligence, which have a strong
genetic
base ... unconditional emotional support from a family member
or close
friend ... and a school or work atmosphere that rewarded effort
and
competency.
Caregivers may not be able to eliminate "bad" childhoods,
but we can try to
provide some of the proven protective factors that help children
survive
and thrive.