The Role of Resilience as a Mediating Factor between Adverse Childhood Experience and Mental Health in Adolescents Receiving Child Welfare Services in Nova Scotia.

While the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health problems (depression, suicidal thoughts, PTSD, and functional impairments) among youth is well studied, there is less known about the mediating role played by resilience for youth receiving child welfare services....

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Published in:Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal Vol. 42; no. 5; pp. 561 - 577
Main Authors: Shahidi, Mehrdad, Ungar, Michael, Wedyaswari, Miryam, Shojaee, Mahnaz
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Oct2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Oct2025
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      pub: Springer Nature
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        10.1007/s10560-024-00979-8
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        atl: The Role of Resilience as a Mediating Factor between Adverse Childhood Experience and Mental Health in Adolescents Receiving Child Welfare Services in Nova Scotia.
      aug:
        au:
          Shahidi, Mehrdad
          Ungar, Michael
          Wedyaswari, Miryam
          Shojaee, Mahnaz
        affil:
          https://ror.org/01e6qks80 Resilience Research Center, Dalhousie University, PO Box 15000, 6420 Coburg Road, B3H 4R2, Halifax, Canada
          https://ror.org/01e6qks80 Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
          https://ror.org/00xqf8t64 Center for Psychological Innovation and Research, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Padjadjaran, West Java, Indonesia
          https://ror.org/0160cpw27 Department of Educational Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
      su:
        Nova Scotia
        Mental illness risk factors
        Child abuse & psychology
        Child welfare
        Cross-sectional method
        Post-traumatic stress disorder
        Mental health
        Suicidal ideation
        Social services
        Interviewing
        Sex distribution
        Sexual orientation identity
        Quantitative research
        Teenagers' conduct of life
        Psychological tests
        Adverse childhood experiences
        Mental depression
        Educational attainment
        Psychological resilience
        Risk assessment
        Research funding
        Multiple regression analysis
        Functional assessment
        Questionnaires
        Structural equation modeling
        Descriptive statistics
        Chi-squared test
        Functional status
        Factor analysis
        Data analysis software
      sug:
        subj:
          Mental illness risk factors
          Child abuse & psychology
          Child welfare
          Cross-sectional method
          Post-traumatic stress disorder
          Mental health
          Suicidal ideation
          Social services
          Interviewing
          Sex distribution
          Sexual orientation identity
          Quantitative research
          Teenagers' conduct of life
          Psychological tests
          Adverse childhood experiences
          Mental depression
          Educational attainment
          Nova Scotia
          Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)
          Other Individual and Family Services
          Psychological resilience
          Risk assessment
          Research funding
          Multiple regression analysis
          Functional assessment
          Questionnaires
          Structural equation modeling
          Descriptive statistics
          Chi-squared test
          Functional status
          Factor analysis
          Data analysis software
      keyword:
        Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services Studies in Human Society Social Work
        Resilience
        Sexual identity
        Youth receiving child welfare services
        Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services Studies in Human Society Social Work
        Resilience
        Sexual identity
        Youth receiving child welfare services
      ab: While the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health problems (depression, suicidal thoughts, PTSD, and functional impairments) among youth is well studied, there is less known about the mediating role played by resilience for youth receiving child welfare services. This study explored the mediating effects of resilience in relationship to ACEs and mental health outcomes for youth receiving child welfare services. Participants and setting: The study included 251 participants (14–19 years of age, 58% female) receiving child welfare services from the government of Nova Scotia, Canada. A cross-sectional design was used with seven measures administered to youth through phone interviews. Risk exposure was measured using the ACEs scale while resilience was assessed with the CYRM-17. Mental health outcomes included depression symptoms (BDI-II), suicidal thoughts (SBQ-R), post traumatic stress reactions (PTSRS), and functional impairment (IATSS). Structure equation modelling (SEM) and general linear model (GLM) were used to analyze the data. Resilience directly affects mental health outcomes (β = − 0.409, p <.001) and indirectly mediates the effect of ACEs on outcomes (β = 0.236, P <.001). Resilience showed different patterns in terms of sex and education. The youth who identified themselves as non-binary and were not enrolled in an educational program had lower levels of resilience. Resilience decreases the risk of mental health problems among youth receiving child welfare services. The impact of resources to build relational, caregiver, and social-contextual resilience may be influenced by a youth's sexual identity and engagement in education.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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