Kunjing children without sufficient parental care (KCw/oSPC) in China endure harsh living conditions and are in great need in improving their capabilities to fight against adversities. This research aims to implement a social group work intervention enhancing the resilience of KCw/oSPC and to evaluate the effectiveness.
Method
This intervention utilized a randomized controlled trial; 57 KCw/oSPC were recruited and randomly allocated into the experimental (n = 24, participating in 20 group-based activities) and comparison (n = 33, not receiving any resilience services) groups. We compared the between-group and within-group differences in resilience and its protective factors to evaluate the intervention effectiveness.
Results
The results indicated significant positive changes in resilience and its protective factors except for empathy of KCw/oSPC in the experimental group, with medium to large effect sizes (Cohen's d range 0.56–3.42).
Discussion
Despite limitations, this study contributed to the practical services and well-being of KCw/oSPC in China and worldwide.
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