Promotion of resilience for children in low-income communities

Children and young people (CYPs) in low-income communities face significant health disparities that emerge in childhood due to dynamic processes of socioeconomic marginalization, preventing access to social power, resources, and capacity to engage productively with society. The health consequences persist into adulthood regardless of subsequent social mobility. We review evidence-based resilience promotion interventions working with (i) family (ii) school or community organisations and (iii) across multiple levels. Interventions use a range of theoretical frameworks, dominated by an ecological systems approach to resilience. A wide range of universal and contextual risk and protective mechanisms are addressed in these interventions, with strengths in developing life skills, coping, psychoeducation, relationship skills, maternal mental health, global mental health promotion, and targeted support for highly vulnerable CYPs. In considering directions for concentrating therapeutic efforts and research agendas, we suggest that alongside initiatives to enhance social support, coping skills, resource promotion, life skills, and resilience to contextually-specific risk factors (e.g., sexual health), transformative approaches which trouble existing power structures, engage with culturally-diverse theorizations and applications of resilience, create opportunities for supportive relationships, and intervene across multiple levels may be especially useful to disrupt the manifestations of socioeconomic marginalization upon children and young people’s health.