RESILIENCE AND VULNERABILITY IN CHILDREN OF MULTIPLE-RISK FAMILIES

Under high-risk conditions of genetic and family environmental origins , some children maintain a high level of adaptive behavior, whereas ot hers develop serious problems. What distinguishes these children? Usin g measures systematically obtained in a 10-year longitudinal study, st andard case studies were developed on 18 resilient children with healt hy adaptation throughout development (psychiatric assessment) and on 2 6 troubled children with serious persistent problems. All children had family risks of affective illness in both parents and a highly chaoti c and disturbed family life. Well children of well parents and well-fu nctioning families were a comparison group. The children were preadole scent or adolescent at the time of most recent assessment. The ill and well families had similar demographic characteristics. Resilient and control children were very similar on most measures. Troubled children as a group had lower scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Ch ildren - Revised, were more often shy, had poor academic achievement, and had a history of poor peer relationships. Resilient children elici ted more positive reactions from teachers, were more likely to be the favored child in the family, and had more positive self-perceptions. P rofiles of each child showed competing processes of vulnerability and coping. Children used a wide range of methods for coping with parental and family pathology. Resilience appeared variably robust or fragile depending on the combinations of risks and supportive factors present and the styles of coping with stress.