Resilience is an individual’s ability to adapt successfully to and persevere during and after significant challenges. Resilience programmes based on a socioemotional learning approach have been associated with an increase in protextive factors (e.g., prosocial competencies), improvements in physical and mental health, and a decrease in internalised and externalised symptoms. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of the RESCUR curriculum implemented in Portuguese schools on students’ academic, behavioural, and socioemotional outcomes, based on child and teacher reports. Participants included 1,084 children (53.2% male) aged 3-15 (M = 7.24, SD = 2.31). A quasi-experimental study compared outcomes for an experimental intervention group (AIG) with a waiting list control group (WG). The results showed the RESCUR programme decreased mental health difficulties while increasing both prosocial behaviours and well-being. In addition, academic performance increased for those in preschool after implementation. Both teachers and children consistently reported positive behavioural changes in resilience-related competencies after implementing RESCUR. Our findings contribute to the recent research on the potential of RESCUR to address key socioemotional competencies and improve relevant protextive factors. Study limitations and future recommendations are addressed.
AhmadF.JhajjA. K.StewartD. E.BurghardtM.BiermanA. S. (2014).
Single item measures of self-rated mental health: A scoping review. BMC Health Services Research,
14, 398. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-14-398
2.
AndradeC. (2018).
Internal, external, and ecological validity in research design, conduct, and evaluation. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine,
40, 498–499. https://doi.org/10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_334_18
3.
BrownleeK.RawanaJ.FranksJ.HarperJ.BajwaJ.O’BrienE.ClarksonA. (2013).
A systematic review of strengths and resilience outcome literature relevant to children and adolescents. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal,
30, 435–459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-013-0301-9
4.
CarrollA.HoughtonS.ForrestK.McCarthyM.Sanders-O’ConnorE. (2020).
Who benefits most? Predicting the effectiveness of a social and emotional learning intervention according to children’s emotional and behavioural difficulties. School Psychology International,
41, 197–217. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034319898741
5.
CefaiC.ArloveA.DucaM.GaleaN.MuscatM.CavioniV. (2018).
RESCUR surfing the waves: An evaluation of a resilience programme in the early years. Pastoral Care in Education,
36, 189–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/02643944.2018.1479224
6.
CefaiC.CavioniV.BartoloP.SimoesC.Miljevic-RidickiR.BouiletD., Pavin Ivanec, T., Matsopoulos, A., Gavogiannaki, M., Zanetti, M. A., Galea, K., Lebre, P., Kimber, B., & ErikssonC. (2015).
Social inclusion and social justice. Journal for Multicultural Education,
9, 122–139. https://doi.org/10.1108/JME-01-2015-0002
7.
CefaiC.MatsopoulosA.BartoloP.GaleaK.GavogiannakiM.ZanettiM. A., Renati, R., Cavioni, V., Ivanec, T. P., Saric, M., Kimber, B., Eriksson, C., Simoes, C., & LebreP. (2014).
A resilience curriculum for early years and primary schools in Europe: Enhancing quality education. Croatian Journal of Education,
16, 11–32.
8.
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2003). Safe and sound: An educational leader’s guide to evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs.
9.
CorcoranR. P.CheungA. C. K.KimE.XieC. (2018).
Effective universal school-based social and emotional learning programs for improving academic achievement: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 50 years of research. Educational Research Review,
25, 56–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2017.12.001
10.
DomitrovichC. E.DurlakJ. A.StaleyK. C.WeissbergR. P. (2017).
Social-emotional competence: An essential factor for promoting positive adjustment and reducing risk in school children. Child Development,
88, 408–416. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12739
11.
DrayJ.BowmanJ.CampbellE.FreundM.WolfendenL.HodderR. K., McElwaine, K., Tremain, D., Bartlem, K., Bailey, J., Small, T., Palazzi, K., Oldmeadow, C., & Wiggers, J. (2017).
Systematic review of universal resilience-focused interventions targeting child and adolescent mental health in the school setting. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
56, 813–824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2017.07.780
12.
DurlakJ. A.WeissbergR. P.DymnickiA. B.TaylorR. D.SchellingerK. B. (2011).
The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development,
82, 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
13.
Fenwick-SmithA.DahlbergE. E.ThompsonS. C. (2018).
Systematic review of resilience-enhancing, universal, primary school-based mental health promotion programs. BMC Psychology,
6, 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-018-0242-3
14.
FerreiraL. (2014). Associações entre a resiliência, a autocompaixão e a orientação temporal na adolescência [Associations between resilience, self-compassion and temporal orientation in adolescence] [Unpublished master’s thesis].
University of Coimbra.
15.
FleitlichB.LoureiroM. J.FonsecaA.GasparF. (2004).
Strengths and dificulties Questionaire—Portuguese version [Questionário do SDQ, versão traduzida e adaptada Para a população Portuguesa (SDQ-Por)]. http://www.sdqinfo.com/d23ahtlm
16.
ForbesS.FikretogluD. (2018).
Building resilience: The conceptual basis and research evidence for resilience training programs. Review of General Psychology,
22, 452–468. https://doi.org/10.1037/gpr0000152
17.
GardnerD. G.CummingsL. L.DunhamR. B.PierceJ. L. (1998).
Single-item versus multiple-item measurement scales: An empirical comparison. Educational and Psychological Measurement,
58, 898–915. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164498058006003
18.
HanischC.EichelbergerI.RichardS.DoepfnerM. (2020).
Effects of a modular teacher coaching program on child attention problems and disruptive behavior and on teachers’ self-efficacy and stress. School Psychology International,
41, 543–568. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034320958743
19.
HarnettP. H.DaddsM. R. (2004).
Training school personnel to implement a universal school-based prevention of depression program under real-world conditions. Journal of School Psychology,
42, 343–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2004.06.004
20.
KassisW.ArtzS.MaurovicI.SimõesC. (2018).
What doesn’t kill them doesn’t make them stronger: Questioning our current notions of resilience. Child Abuse & Neglect,
78, 71–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.12.011
LarkinH.ShieldsJ. J.AndaR. F. (2012).
The health and social consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) across the lifespan: An introduction to prevention and intervention in the community. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community,
40, 263–270. https://doi.org/10.1080/10852352.2012.707439
23.
LeppinA. L.BoraP. R.TilburtJ. C.GionfriddoM. R.Zeballos-PalaciosC.DuloheryM. M., Sood, A., Erwin, P. J., Brito, J. P., Boehmer, K. R., & Montori, V. M. (2014).
The efficacy of resiliency training programs: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials. PLoS One,
9, e111420. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111420
24.
LiebenbergL.UngarM.LeBlancJ. C. (2013).
The CYRM-12: A brief measure of resilience. Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Sante Publique,
104, e131–e135. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03405676
25.
MastenA. S. (2018).
Resilience theory and research on children and families: Past, present, and promise. Journal of Family Theory & Review,
10, 12–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12255
26.
MatosM. G.GasparT.FerreiraM.ToméG.CamachoI.ReisM.MeloP.SimõesC.MachadoR.RamiroL. (2012).
Keeping a focus on self-regulation and competence: “Find your own style”, a school-based program targeting at risk adolescents. Journal of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies,
12, 39–48.
27.
MatosM. G.GasparT.SimõesC. (2012).
Health-related quality of life in Portuguese children and adolescents. Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica,
25, 230–237. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-79722012000200004
28.
MatosM. G.SimõesC. (2016).
From positive youth development to youth’s engagement: The dream teens. International Journal of Educational Education,
8, 4–18.
29.
MatsopoulosA.GavogiannakiM.GrivaA. M. (2020).
Parents’ perceptions and evaluation of the implementation of a resilience curriculum in Greek schools. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology,
8, 104–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2020.1724576
30.
R Core Team. (2020). R: A language and environment for statistical computing [Computer software]. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. https://www.R-project.org/
31.
RichB. A.ShiffrinN. D.CummingsC. M.ZargerM. M.BerghorstL.AlvordM. K. (2019).
Resilience-based intervention with underserved children: Impact on self-regulation in a randomized clinical trial in schools. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy,
69, 30–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207284.2018.1479187
32.
RobitzschA.GrundS. (2021). miceadds: Some Additional Multiple Imputation Functions, Especially for ‘mice’. [Computer software] R package version 3.11–6. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=miceadds
33.
SimõesC. (2015). Os programas de mudança: A resiliência [The changing programs: Resilience]. In M. G. Matos (Ed.), Adolescentes em navegação segura por água desconhecidas [Adolescents in safe navigation through unknown waters] (pp. 237–240). Coisas de ler.
34.
SimõesC.LebreP.SantosA.BranquinhoC.GasparT.MatosM. G. (2020). Resiliência nas escolas: Currículo Europeu para a Resiliência (RESCUR) em Portugal [Resilience in schools: European Curriculum for Resilience (RESCUR) in Portugal]. In A. Pessoa, & S. Koller (Eds.), Resiliência & Educação: Perspectivas teóricas e práticas [Resilience & Education: Theoretical and practical perspectives] (pp. 315–336). Editora Vetor.
35.
SuntheimerN. M.WolfS. (2020).
Cumulative risk, teacher-child closeness, executive function and early academic skills in kindergarten children. Journal of School Psychology,
78, 23–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2019.11.005
36.
UngarM.ConnellyG.LiebenbergL.TheronL. (2019).
How schools enhance the development of young people’s resilience. Social Indicators Research,
145, 615–627. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1728-8
37.
UngarM.RussellP.ConnellyG. (2014).
School-based interventions to enhance the resilience of students. Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology,
4, 66–83. https://doi.org/10.5539/jedp.v4n1p66
38.
van BuurenS. (2011). Multiple imputation of multilevel data. In HoxJ. J.Roberts& J. K. (Eds.), The handbook of advanced multilevel analysis (pp. 173–196).
Routledge.
39.
van BuurenS.Groothuis-OudshoornK. (2011).
Mice: Multivariate imputation by chained equations in R. Journal of Statistical Software,
45, 1–67. https://www.jstatsoft.org/v45/i03/.
WeissbergR. P.DurlakJ. A.DomitrovichC. E.GullottaT. P. (2015). Social and emotional learning: Past, present, and future. In DurlakJ. A.DomitrovichC. E.WeissbergR. P.GullottaT. P. (Eds.), Handbook for social and emotional learning (pp. 3–19).
Guilford.
XiongJ.HaiM.WangJ.LiY.JiangG. (2020).
Cumulative risk and mental health in Chinese adolescents: The moderating role of psychological capital. School Psychology International,
41, 409–429. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034320934524
44.
ZinsJ.BloodworthM.WeissbergR.WalbergH. (2004). The scientific base linking social and emotional learning to school success. In ZinsJ. E.WeissbergR. P.WangM. C.WalbergH. J. (Eds.), Building academic success on social and emotional learning: What does the research say? (pp. 3–22).
Teachers College Press.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
