Parental Resilience: Protective & Promotive Factors
Being a parent can be a very rewarding and joyful experience. But being a parent can also have its share of stress.
Parenting stress is caused by the pressures (stressors) that are placed on parents personally and in relation to their child:
- typical events and life changes (e.g., moving to a new city or not being able to soothe a crying baby)
- unexpected events (e.g., losing a job or discovering your child has a medical problem)
- individual factors (e.g., substance abuse or traumatic experiences)
- social factors (e.g., relationship problems or feelings of loneliness and isolation)
- community, societal or environmental conditions (e.g., persistent poverty, racism or a natural disaster)
Numerous researchers have concluded that how parents respond to stressors is much more important than the stressor itself in determining the outcomes for themselves and their children. Parents are more likely to achieve healthy, favorable outcomes if they are resilient. Resilience is the process of managing stress and functioning well even when faced with challenges, adversity and trauma.