Resilience and Positive Wellbeing Experienced by 5–12-Year-Old Children with Refugee Backgrounds in Australia

The Childhood Resilience Study

Bibliographic Data

ID15499651
AuthorsElisha Riggs (0000-0003-0799-7467, The University of Melbourne), Deirdre Gartland (0000-0001-6749-8147, The University of Melbourne, corresponding author), Josef Szwarc (0000-0003-1082-7880, Myer Foundation), Mardi Stow (Myer Foundation), Georgia Paxton (0000-0003-2314-9812, Royal Children's Hospital), Stephanie Brown (0000-0001-9812-0067, The University of Melbourne)
Year2024
Volume21
Issue5
Pages627-627
Publication date2024-05-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph21050627
PMID38791841
OpenAlexW4396986335
LanguageEN
References cited38

Refugee research tends to be deficit based and focused on the risks threatening positive adaptation and wellbeing. High rates of mental (and physical) health issues have been reported for refugee adults and children, including intergenerational trauma. This study uses the new Child Resilience Questionnaire (CRQ), co-designed with refugee background communities, to describe resilience and positive wellbeing experienced by children of refugee-background. The Childhood Resilience Study (CRS) recruited 1132 families with children aged 5-12 years in Victoria and South Australia, Australia. This included the recruitment of 109 families from 4 refugee background communities: Assyrian Chaldean (Iraq, Syria), Hazara (Afghanistan), Karen (Burma, Thailand) and Sierra Leonean families. CRQ-parent/caregiver report (CRQ-P/C) scores were categorised into 'low', 'moderate' and 'high'. The child's emotional and behavioural wellbeing was assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, with positive wellbeing defined as <17 on the total difficulties score. Tobit regression models adjusted for a child's age. The CRQ-P/C scores were not different for boys and girls of refugee background. Children of refugee-background (n = 109) had higher average CRQ-P/C scores than other CRS children (n = 1023) in the personal, school and community domains, but were lower in the family domain. Most children with 'high' resilience scores had positive wellbeing for both children of refugee-background (94.6%) and other CRS children (96.5%). Contrary to common stereotypes, children of refugee-background show specific individual, family, school and cultural strengths that can help them navigate cumulative and complex risks to sustain or develop their positive wellbeing. A better understanding as to how to build strengths at personal, family, peer, school and community levels where children are vulnerable is an important next step. Working in close collaboration with refugee communities, schools, policy makers and key service providers will ensure the optimal translation of these findings into sustainable practice and impactful public policy

Developmental psychology · Geography · Psychological resilience · Refugee · Resilience (materials science · Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Social Psychology