Articles

Helping vulnerable children to become more resilient

Authors

  • Allan Brownrigg
  • Alison Soulsby
  • Maurice Place

Keywords:

resilience, prevention, intervention, parental depression

Abstract

Children whose parents have significant depressive illness are at greatly increased risk of developing mental health problems themselves as they get older. The research on resilience suggests that a programme which combines work with the child, the family, and strengthens community supports is likely to have a positive impact upon the child's vulnerability. We describe the content and operation of such a service, and report on the results from its first 18 months of operation, which suggest that it does have a positive impact in many areas of child and family functioning.

Author Biographies

Allan Brownrigg

Allan Brownrigg, DipSW, MA., Coordinator, Strength to Strength team, City Hospitals, Sunderland, England, UK.

Alison Soulsby

Alison Soulsby, RMN, RGN, Coordinator, Strength to Strength team, City Hospitals, Sunderland, England, UK.

Maurice Place

Maurice Place, LLB, MD, FRCPsych., Professor of Child and Family Psychiatry, and Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service, Dover House, Hartlepool, England, UK.

Published

2004-03-01

Issue

Section

Articles