Citation

Thoma MV, Bernays F, Pfluger V, Eising CM, Rohner SL. Clin. Psychol. Psychother. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/cpp.2691

PMID

34786799

Abstract

Child welfare practices in the last century have been linked to a high risk for child maltreatment and the subsequent development of mental ill-health. However, not all affected individuals develop clinically-relevant psychopathology, which can be considered as a form of resilience. Such resilience is insufficiently understood in survivors of an advanced age. Therefore, this exploratory study aimed to depict a resilience profile of Swiss older adult survivors of child welfare-related maltreatment (n = 132; M(age) = 71 years) and to contrast it with age-matched controls (n = 125). Approximately 30% of survivors did not meet the diagnostic criteria for any of the assessed current or lifetime DSM-5 disorders. These survivors were older, experienced less physical abuse, and had higher trait resilience, self-esteem, income, and satisfaction with their socio-economic status. They had lower levels of neuroticism and some empathy characteristics. Group differences in the resilience profiles suggest that resilience-related aspects may vary as a function of past adversity.

Language: en

Keywords

resilience; Child maltreatment; child welfare practices; older adult survivors