RESILIENCE AND ITS PROMOTION THROUGH OCCUPATIONAL PARTICIPATION IN CHILDREN

Abstract

Resilience and the promotion of resilience is often considered when working with children in the spheres of psychology, health, education and social work. However, resilience does not appear to be a concept that has been considered in great depth within occupational therapy. Due to this gap in understanding, this paper will aim to consider resilience as a concept and how it can contribute to the development of children. To do this, an overview of resilience research and its core aspects will be considered. An understanding of the aspects of an individual, their family and the wider community will also be explored and how these contribute to resilience. With one of the core precepts of occupational therapy being that of participation in occupation and its influence on health and well-being (Law et al. 1998; Hammel and Iwama 2012), an understanding of how participation in occupation contributes to resilience will be explored. To do this, a literature review of how participation in recreational activities and how these promote resilience in children will be undertaken. With a link ascertained between participation in occupation and the promotion of resilience, key messages from resilience research will be used to support recommendations of how occupational therapy can make use of resilience to inform policy and practice guidelines. This paper will highlight that resilience is promoted through occupational participation and ought to be a concept understood and considered within occupational therapy practice.