Children need resilience to overcome difficulties
Safety is a need we all share. It is the foundation on which our quality of life rests. Yet, that foundation has become unstable for too many of us. A significant threat to our safety is youth violence.
Local data indicates a significant increase in youth violence in 2020 and 2021. This increase is likely a result of many factors, including the communitywide stressors of a pandemic.
Decades of research tell us much about the risk factors for youth violence. We know that childhood trauma and a lack of positive social support are powerful contributors. When young children are overwhelmed by hardships such as poverty or abuse, they often grow up fearful or angry – for very valid reasons. And a child’s immature brain development makes managing those strong emotions difficult – they need the help of stable adults to do this. Sadly, when they lack caring adults to guide them, those emotions can easily erupt into violent behavior.
The experience of childhood trauma and the absence of caring adults are an unstable fuel that can create an explosion.
In many ways, our community has been a powder keg. But we have the power to stop the combustion.
LSU Health Shreveport is working to share the knowledge we need to accomplish just that. The Institute for Childhood Resilience (ICR) was established to promote a safe, stable and nurturing community for all children and families. The role of the ICR is to identify the protective factors which can buffer the effects of childhood trauma and, in turn, deter the potential development of youth violence.
These protective factors are commonly known as resilience – the combination of attributes, experiences and skills that allow an individual to succeed and thrive despite harsh conditions. Resilience makes flourishing possible for everyone.
The study of resilience has revealed three important building blocks: Connections (the presence of safe and supportive relationships), Coping (the development of stress reduction techniques), and Capabilities (the practice of interest-driven, enjoyable activities). But these components are not equal – the most important – connections with safe, stable people. Caring relationships are essential, but unfortunately, they are not universal.
The actual words of local children tell us their reality: “Nobody really cares.” “My mom works a lot, and sometimes there are no grown-ups to watch out for us.” “We need a safe place to play.”
Many of our children lack the opportunities that form the protection of resilience, and our forced isolation has further reduced those options.
We long ago reached our threshold for violent acts – acts that have resulted in the loss of innocent lives. The time is now to do all we can to prevent a sequel. And there is much we can do to reduce the risk that future violence will erupt. By recognizing that every child deserves a safe, stable and nurturing childhood, we will change the course of our community. This is how children can reach their potential. This is also how violence is defused.
The solution costs nothing, yet it is priceless. It is the gift of our time and attention to a child, and there are many ways to offer it. We can volunteer our time in a church, through sports or in a nonprofit organization. It is only when all our children can say, “Somebody really cares,” that our children and our community will flourish.
Laura Alderman, LPC-S, LMFT, NCC , is the director of The Institute for Childhood Resilience Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, LSU Health Shreveport.
