Veerkragtigheid by 'n groep kinders in die middelkinderjare

Abstract

The South African society is characterised by high levels of risk factors which can have a significantly negative impact on the development of children. The impact of risk factors from an early age can hinder intellectual and emotional growth during the critical stage (middle childhood) of development. Middle childhood can be described as the relatively tranquil period during which patterns and routines are embedded and cognitive-, social-, emotional- and self-conceptualisation are formed. Children are daily exposed to risks and stressful events that can lead to negative outcomes. The impact of risks and adversity sets challenges for the child that test his/her coping abilities and perseverance within a given period and situation. The idea behind resilience is to accept these challenges through utilising protective factors and decreasing the effects of risk factors. The Children’s Coping Strategies Checklist of Ayers and Sandler (1999) was used to assess resilience and The Resilience and Youth Development Module (RYDM) of WestEd (1999 & 2002) to measure participants’ perceptions of the school, home, environment and peer group as external protective domains as well as participants ability in seven psychosocial internal assets and their experience of certain risk factors. A biographical questionnaire was used to gather demographic information of the learners. The findings indicated positive coping abilities (resilience), protective perceptions of external and internal assets and low levels of risk experience (resilience) in the majority of participants. Significant differences were found between boys and girls and between the age groups 10 and 13 years. Theoretically, these findings indicate resilience in the majority of this group of learners who reside in a socio-economically deprived milieu characterised by risk factors.