Predictors of resilience in families of children with a mental health disorder

Abstract

While much theorizing and research has been conducted on family resilience, the concepts and theories of family resilience have not been applied to families who have a child with a mental health disorder. The proposed study utilized the family resilience model (Henry, Morris, & Harrist, 2015) to explore a model of interactive family resilience when a child experiences a mental health disorder. The associations between child mental health demographics, family processes, family-community fit and family resilience were explored. The sample included 78 parents/parent-figures of a child, adolescent or adult child diagnosed with a mental health disorder before the age of 19. Parent surveys were completed online via an anonymous link. A series of hierarchical multiple regressions were run to explore associations between parents' report of child mental health demographics, family processes, family-community fit and family resilience.