Promoting resilience during the transition to adolescence in chronically ill children and their families

This chapter explores resilience during the transition to adolescence in chronically ill children and their families from the perspective of pediatric psychology. Specifically, we aim to identify resilience factors and how medical practitioners can target these factors as a way to promote an optimal response to pediatric chronic illness during the transition to adolescence. We discuss how pediatric chronic illness presents families with numerous challenges, particularly during the transition from childhood to adolescence. We review the impact of pediatric chronic illness on children and families during the transition to adolescence, including its impact on children’s biological, cognitive, psychological, and social functioning, as well as its impact on parenting and family functioning. We identify potential individual, family, and community resilience factors that can serve as targets for interventions. We discuss how implementing interventions through a strengths-based perspective can encourage optimal outcomes and conclude with implications for medical practitioners who work with families of chronically ill children, and recommendations for future research.