Stress, Coping, and Resilience in Children and Youth

Abstract

In this article, we review the literature on stress, coping, risk, and resilience in children, little of which is reflected in the social welfare literature. A consistent relation has been found between exposure to a wide variety of stressors or risk factors and child and adolescent well-being. However, some youth are more resilient and able to overcome adversity. Resiliency is tied to protective factors such as parental management and social support that moderate the effects of risk and stress. Interventions to reduce risk and promote coping and resilience in children and adolescents are discussed.