An umbrella review of the characteristics of resiliency-enhancing interventions for children and youth with disabilities

Abstract

Purpose

The current umbrella review aimed to identify key intervention characteristics that have been demonstrated to enhance resiliency in children and youth with disabilities.

Materials and methods

To identify these key ingredients, using JBI guidelines, we conducted comprehensive searches in the fall of 2022 and searches were re-run in June 2023. Using the PICO format, we searched for peer-reviewed review articles that included children and youth with disabilities (6 to 19 years of age), the intervention targeted resiliency, the context was home, school, or community, and the outcome was resiliency enhancement.

Results

The initial searches produced 1031 articles, of which 4 met our inclusion criteria. These articles collectively had reviewed a total of 247 articles representing approximately 2756 participants. We found a wide range of disabilities represented in the studies and many activities that are included in the existing REIs. Our findings identified engagement, self-regulatory processes, capacity building, positive social connectedness, and a customized intervention approach as evidence-based resiliency enhancing features. We propose a model consolidating these findings into a multi-dimensional resiliency process which may help explain successful adaptation.

Conclusion

Our proposed model may be helpful in delineating entry points that different REIs have used to generate positive change.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• Resiliency enhancing interventions do not clearly link intervention activities to the concept of resiliency.

• This review identified self-regulatory skills, self-efficacy, capacity building, and positive social connectedness as key features for enhancing resiliency.

• Rehabilitation professionals aiming to enhance resiliency should customize their interventions to the specific population of interest.

• Resiliency enhancing interventions should implement activities in a context that effectively engages the target population.

Keywords:

• Resilience
• children
• youth
• intervention
• disabilities
• resiliency-enhancing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

We are happy to provide access to the data at reasonable requests. Queries about the results can be directed to [email protected]

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada. Gillian King holds the Canada Research Chair in Optimal Care for Children with Disabilities funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. This chair is supported by matching funds from the Kimel Family Opportunities Fund through the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation. These funding bodies played no role in the design of the study; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; or in writing the manuscript.