Just deal with it: A network analysis of resilience, coping, and sense of belonging among children

When considering developmental psychology three concepts stand out; (1) resilience: the resistance to stress, (2) coping: the strategies used to reduce stress, and (3) sense of belonging: the connectedness towards peers. Although all three concepts are important for a child’s development, the academic literature lacks research on the interrelations and interplay between them. This study employed network analysis to investigate the interplay between resilience, coping, and sense of belonging in children. Three hundred and seventy-three children (aged 10-12; 51% boys, 49% girls) completed a pen-and-paper survey including the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents (RSCA), Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief-COPE), and PISA sense of belonging scale. Results revealed resilience to be associated with both coping and sense of belonging, yet weaker associations emerged between coping and sense of belonging. Three striking node patterns of high interconnectedness were revealed that further deepen our understanding of the interplay between these concepts. Implications for research and practice and limitations of the current study are discussed.