Please note that there are two different conference venues: June 14/15 - Century City Conference Centre June 16 - Kirstenbosch Conference Centre (transportation available)
Abstract #119 Title: Psychometric Evaluation of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale among Primary Caregivers of Young Children Displaced by Armed Conflict in Colombia Presenter: Jose Flores (Yale Child Study Center, USA) Co-Authors: Liliana Angelica Ponguta, Felipe Bolivar, Ana Maria Hoyos, Alejandro Diaz, Lina Maria Ballesteros Introduction: By 2016, armed conflict in Colombia has resulted in the forced displacement of over six million people, the second highest internal migration in the world after Syria. Validating instruments for assessing (population level) resilience is fundamental in the evaluation of nationwide interventions. Methods: We validated the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale CD-RISC (25) among hard-to-reach, highly vulnerable populations in Colombia. We recruited 1,479 female (94.72%) and 101 (5.28%) male primary caregivers of children under 5-years of age. The mean age of caregivers was 29.21 years (SD 8.34) Caregivers were recruited through non-probabilistic convenience sampling in 14 municipalities with high exposure to armed conflict, direct presence of armed groups, geographic association with drug trafficking routes, or in receptor areas of displaced rural communities. A comprehensive demographic and mental health survey was conducted. Validity, reliability assessment and factor analyses were conducted. Findings: Our analyses confirmed a 5-factor structure for CD-RISC in this population. The scale reliability coefficient was ?=0.90. This is the first study to validate a widely used resilience scale with sufficient power in Colombia. We discuss the utility and applicability of this measure for characterizations of resilience in the country.
Abstract #186 Title: Photo-Stories of Resilience with Refugees, Refugee Claimants and Immigrants in Canada Presenter: Susan Brigham (Canada) Introduction: This presentation is based on findings from two phases of a project involving refugees, refugee claimants, and immigrants in Atlantic Canada. Atlantic Canadian provincial governments are looking to immigrants as a way to address social stagnation and help stimulate economic growth. Methods: Over the past 3 years 25 people from 12 countries were involved in this project that used a participatory photography research method. This method was chosen because “it holds great potential for developing awareness, reflection, empowerment, direction, motive, and choice; it is also conducive to the development of agency”(Brigham, 2015, p. 60). As English is not the first language of many of the participants, photography offers a shared form of communication. Findings: Findings indicate that by defining resilience as a process to harness resources to sustain well-being (Panter-Brick & Leckman, 2013), it is evident through their shared photo stories that all participants are developing resilience through relationships at transnational and local levels and with the natural environment.
