THE INTERPLAY OF INTRAHOUSEHOLD DYNAMICS AND CHILDREN’S PROCESSES OF RESILIENCE IN RURAL HONDURAS

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between resilience and intrahousehold dynamics among rural Honduran children. The aim was to identify coping methods among children facing adversity and the mechanisms through which the household influenced these processes. A social ecological systems model of resilience was applied to identify children’s protective processes, while household relationships, activities, and role expectations were examined to illuminate intrahousehold dynamics. Using mixed methods, three research phases were employed. Phase one explored childhood adversities through focus groups. Findings indicated that children faced multiple, co-occurring risks inclusive of poverty and parental absence, among others. Phase two assessed resilience using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-28). Survey results revealed that children’s resilience was predominately relationally-centred, indicating that social networks facilitated key protective resources. Logistic regressions identified four contextually-relevant protective resources: three facets of intrahousehold dynamics (allocated time to complete schoolwork, availability of academic resources, and adult presence in the household) and one community element (perceived safety). Phase three employed case studies to investigate the dynamics of nine households. Case studies illuminated the influences of contextual factors—specifically, familism cultural values and community resources—on intrahousehold dynamics, which created discernible variations in household quality. Data integration elucidated how adaptations of familism values and variations in the availability/accessibility of community resources led to unique intrahousehold dynamics, thus influencing the extent to which protective resources operant in this setting were present in children’s lives—resulting in a plurality of resilient outcomes. The findings point to the complex contextual influences on intrahousehold dynamics, and the highly variable ways in which intrahousehold dynamics manifest protective resources in children’s lives. Findings show that resilience is a quality of the child-environment interaction influenced by a broad range of interconnected structural, cultural, and social factors, including the structural impediments of poverty, adherence to familism values, and the quality of relationships. This study provides empirical evidence of the reciprocal systemic processes associated with positive development under stress and underscores the importance of targeting interventions at multiple socioecological levels to bolster children’s resilience-enhancing potential. Key words: Children, resilience, social ecological systems model, household dynamics, familism, mixed methods research, Honduras, middle childhood, culture, protective factors, risk factors, poverty, Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-28)