Building the Concept of Nurturing Resilience

• Published in: Journal of pediatric nursing 2019-09, Vol.48, p.63-71
• Main Authors: Martinez, Laurie Ann, Opalinski, Andra S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescent Health; Adolescents; Child; Child Behavior - psychology; Child Health; Child Welfare; Children; Concept building; Health Promotion - methods; Humans; Mental Disorders - prevention & control; Nursing; Nurturing resilience; Pediatric Nursing - methods; Resilience; Resilience, Psychological; Youth
• ISSN: 0882-5963; 1532-8449
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pedn.2019.07.006

Children and adolescents are faced with ubiquitous daily stressors. When faced with various stressors, they will either recover or stay distressed. For those unable to recover, acute daily stressors have potential to turn chronic with long term negative mental health outcomes. Nurturing resilience is one way to prevent distress from turning to mental health disorders. With the ability of adolescents and children to access nurses with various specialties, it is imperative nurses understand the nuances of resilience and the core elements to nurture resilience in youth. The purpose of building the concept of nurturing resilience is to clarify the meaning of this concept in children and adolescents, develop a conceptual definition of nurturing resilience, and provide a conceptual model of nurturing resilience based on the building process. The concept was formulated utilizing Liehr and Smith's practice-based approach to concept building. Concept building defines nurturing resilience as developing secure connections with another to support self-acceptance that aids in tempering reactivity when faced with environmental hardships. Resilience is a protective mechanism which keeps youth balanced while promoting positive mental health when faced with adversities by allowing one to bounce back after adversity to an original, fundamental state. Understanding patterns and processes of resilience enables nurses to nurture resilience. Nurturing resilience provides adolescents and children the ability to change in response to difficult circumstances; in turn, mental distress is reduced, and mental health of youth are optimized. •Resilience is the ability to bounce back to an original, fundamental state of calmness and peace after adversity.•Nurses are in a pivotal position to facilitate normalcy after adversity.•Nurturing resilience is developing connections that support acceptance and tempers reactivity when faced with hardships.•Understanding the patterns of resilience and its process enables nurses to nurture resilience and reduce adolescent distress.