Predictors of resourcefulness in school-aged children

Children need to develop appropriate cognitive-behavioral repertoires to maintain mental health and prevent depression. Resourcefulness is learned throughout life in the context of one's environment. However, environmental or situational factors and individual factors in children's development of resourcefulness have not been studied. This study examined the effects of the situational factors of family context (one or two parents, and number of siblings) and maternal characteristics (employment, learned resourcefulness, and adaptive functioning), and individual (child) factors (gender, academic performance, and automatic thoughts) on learned resourcefulness in school-aged children. A convenience sample of 122 fifth and sixth graders was recruited from four public schools. The child's automatic thoughts and maternal resourcefulness were predictors of child's resourcefulness. Further research is needed to examine additional factors that may promote resourcefulness in school-aged children, so that appropriate nursing strategies can be implemented.