Family Resilience And Connection Promote Flourishing Among US Children, Even Amid Adversity

• Published in: Health Affairs Vol. 38; no. 5; pp. 729 - 737
• Main Authors: Bethell, Christina D, Gombojav, Narangerel, Whitaker, Robert C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The People to People Health Foundation, Inc., Project HOPE 01.05.2019
• Subjects: Adverse childhood experiences; Adversity; Behavior; Childhood; Childhood experiences; Childhood factors; Children; Children & youth; Childrens health; Curiosity; Economic indicators; Emotions; Evidence-based medicine; Families & family life; Family income; Health care; Health care policy; Health education; Health services; Human services; Indexes; Internet; Investments; Levels; Maternal & child health; Mental disorders; Mental health care; Objectives; Parents & parenting; Polls & surveys; Population; Resilience; School safety; Special needs children; Validity; United States > US; National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH); child healt; school engagement; Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs); Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN); child flourishing; family resilience and connection; parent-child connection; parent coping
• ISSN: 0278-2715; 1544-5208
• DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05425

The outcome of flourishing and its predictors have not been well documented among US children, especially those who face adversity. Using data for 2016 and 2017 from the National Survey of Children's Health, we determined the prevalence and predictors of flourishing among US children ages 6-17. A three-item index included indicators of flourishing: children's interest and curiosity in learning new things, persistence in completing tasks, and capacity to regulate emotions. The national prevalence of flourishing was 40.3 percent (29.9-45.0 percent across states). At each level of adverse childhood experiences, household income, and special health care needs, the prevalence of flourishing increased in a graded fashion with increasing levels of family resilience and connection. Across the sectors of health care, education, and human services, evidence-based programs and policies to increase family resilience and connection could increase flourishing in US children, even as society addresses remediable causes of childhood adversity.