| The purpose of this research was to evaluate the elements of residential group care that former clients perceived to be effective in fostering resilience from cumulative adversities. In this qualitative study, I conducted interviews with former clients of the Good Will-Hinckley Homes for Boys and Girls who were identified by a panel of eight staff as "resilient". Through these transcribed interviews, I used categorical content analysis to code themes and concepts relayed by the interviewees. The interview questions were designed around my interest in what elements of residential care (if any) resilient former clients perceived as critical to their resilient development. The questions permitted narrative answers as well as storytelling to describe experiences. With proper consent, two other supporting forms of data were used to inform the analysis: records of the admitting psychosocial history and results from the admitting psychological testing. The lessons learned from the participants in this study inform intervention and prevention of ways adaptive systems can be protected, restored, nurtured and facilitated. |
