Date of Award
1993
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Department Not Listed
First Advisor
Chaney, Reece
Abstract
The focus of this study was to determine if resilient and non-resilient children could be differentially described by a sub-set of the following varibales:parental attitude toward education,sibling order,siblings who dropped out of school,family composition,parental divorce or separation,familial drug or alcohol abuse,and physical or sexual abuse.The sample of fourth,seventh,and tenth garde at-risk children was selected from data provided by Phi Delta Kappa.Of this sample,102 were determined to be resiient and 258 were determined to be non-resilient.The null hypothesis was tested by a stepwise discriminant analysis.Tests of significance were computed,ascertaining the most parsimonious subset of discriminating variables.Tests of classification accuracy and total variance explained in the dependent variables were conducted.The criterion groups were significantly differentiated by four of the seven predictor varibales.The families of resilient children were found to have a positive parental attitude toward school,higher incidences of divorce or separation within the past year,more problems with alcohol or drug use,and to be headed by a single parent.The variable contributing the most to the separation of the resilient and non-resilient groups was parental attitude toward education.Those variables that did not contribute to group diferences were sibling order,physical or sexual abuse,and sibling drop outs.Conclusions drawn from the findings of the study suggested the modearting effects of parental attitude toward schooling.In particular,the protective effect of positive attitudes toward assistance providers and taking assertive action to resolve difficulties was indicated.Proactive efforts that involve the families of at-risk children was determined to be important of training psychologists in family-oriented theories and intervention techniques was proposed.
Recommended Citation
Williams, Roger Duane, "Family factors of resilient and non-resilient children" (1993). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2269.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/2269