The Relationship Between Spirituality and Resilience and Well-being:
a Study of 529 Care Leavers from 11 Nations
Spirituality played an important role as a protective factor in wellbeing for care leavers.
spirituality
HIGHER EMPHASIS ON WAS RELATED TO:
INCREASED
INCREASED
INCREASED resilience
Adults who have lived in alternative care as children
While they are more likely to have poor outcomes as adults, it is clear that some care leavers experience positive outcomes and greater resilience in the face of adversity.
Identifying supports or potential protective factors to support resilience and better outcomes is a critical contribution to both research and practice.
THIS STUDY EXAMINED HOW SPIRITUALITY COULD SERVE AS A PROTECTIVE FACTOR AMONG CARE LEAVERS. PARTICIPANTS
CARE LEAVERS: CARELEAVERS
residential care
Participants reported living in 11 nations during childhood:
USA, KENYA, INDIA, RWANDA, ZIMBABWE, foster care or both
UGANDA, DRC, PHILIPPINES, SIERRA LEONE, ROMANIA, & ETHIOPIA
The Relationship Between Spirituality and Resilience and Well-being, continued...
These findings indicate that
SPIRITUALITY
PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN RESILIENCE WELL-BEING FOR CARE LEAVERS
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A POTENTIALLY VALUABLE CONTRIBUTING FACTORTO HEALTH, RESILIENCE AND WELLBEING
IN PRACTICE
Although spirituality is aPERSONAL CHOICE and should never be a point of coercion, practitioners should allow engagement in desired spiritual practices, and FACILITATE ACCESS TO SUCH PRACTICES.
By better understanding how spirituality relates to positive outcomes in care leavers, we can improve the chances of better outcomes for children separated from parental care
Based on research by Amanda Hiles Howard, Megan Roberts, Tony Mitchell, and Nicole Gilbertson Wilke
Spirituality seems to serve as a factor that guides people through life challenges and functions as a pathway to resilience and maintaining well-being.