Associations Between Family Resilience, Child Flourishing, and School Engagement Among Children in Kinship Care

Abstract

While family resilience can diminish the risk of negative health outcomes among children in kinship care, less research examines if family resilience shapes positive indicators of development. Given previous studies have reported lower social-emotional competence and school engagement among children in relative care, additional research is needed to understand how kinship families support the flourishing and school engagement of their children. Using data from the 2017–2019 National Survey of Children’s Health, this study examines associations between family resilience and two positive indicators of developmental well-being, child flourishing and school engagement. Analyses showed family resilience was positively associated with child flourishing and school engagement. Findings suggest adapting family resilience interventions to the needs of kinship families may be an effective way of promoting the holistic well-being of children in kinship care.