Longitudinal examination of resilience among child welfare-involved adolescents: The roles of caregiver-child relationships and deviant peer affiliation

Despite growing attention to resilience following childhood maltreatment, it remains unclear how the development of resilience unfolds over time among child welfare-involved adolescents. Further, little is known about the immediate and enduring effects of two important attachments in children's lives, namely caregiver-child relationship and deviant peer affiliation, on resilience development over time. This study sought to examine the ways in which caregiver-child relationships and deviant peer affiliation shape developmental trajectories of resilience among child welfare-involved youth. Data were drawn from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. Latent growth curve modeling was conducted on a sample of 711 adolescents. The results revealed that adolescents' resilience increased across a 36-month period since initial contact with Child Protective Services. Better caregiver-child relationships were associated with a higher initial level of resilience among adolescents, whereas higher deviant peer affiliation was associated with a lower initial level of resilience. Significant lagged effects were also found; caregiver-child relationship quality and deviant peer affiliation at baseline were associated with resilience at 18 months after. The findings suggest that interventions that aim to promote positive caregiver-child relationships and prevent deviant peer relationships may help foster resilience among adolescents who have experienced child maltreatment.