Pathways to Resilience Among Israeli Child Victims of Abuse and Neglect

We present a model of the structure and dynamics of the development of resilience among maltreated children. We created the model from a qualitative analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 40 Israeli victims of child abuse and neglect. Findings indicate that children develop resilience by using their cognitive processes to distance themselves from their harsh reality and move to alternative “places of being.” Such movement along with the new locations creates various pathways for building resilience to abuse. The development of alternative worlds provides these children and youth with the opportunity to create new meaning systems that buffer the detrimental effects of abuse and enhance their resilience. Implications for policy and practice concerning children and youth at-risk are suggested.