Child and Family Adaptation to Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis—A Systematic Review of the Role of Resilience Resources and Mechanisms

Background: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is the most common rheumatic disease in childhood, with chronic pain being a main symptom. JIA symptoms can lead to substantial disability in children and their families. While preliminary evidence reveals the potential beneficial role of resilience in dealing with chronic pain, research on the role of resilience in how families of a child with JIA cope with pain-related symptoms is scant and dispersed. Objectives: Using the framework of the Ecological Resilience-Risk Model, this review aims to identify (1) family characteristics that are associated with both risk and resilience in children with JIA and (2) the contribution of individual and parental resilience mechanisms and resources to resilience outcomes in children with JIA and their families. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBSCO, Psycharticles, and PsycINFO were systematically searched. Longitudinal, cross-sectional, and treatment studies written in English with a focus on resilience resources and/or mechanisms in families of a child (6–18 years) with JIA were included. The original search (July 2016) produced 415 articles, with a final sample of 6 articles remaining after screening. An updated search (July 2018) did not identify new articles, but identified one extra article through personal communications. The 7 articles were included in a narrative review and study quality was assessed. Results: Limited research was available on the role of family characteristics, with just one study revealing how family dysfunction is related to reduced child resilience. Studies evaluating the role of individual resilience mechanisms and resources most commonly assessed resilience outcomes in terms of recovery and sustainability outcomes, such as health-related quality of life (HRQL) and functional disability. The findings revealed that children's psychological flexibility, self-efficacy, adherence, pain acceptance, and perceived social support contribute to resilience outcomes. Findings were inconclusive for the influence of coping strategies, such as seeking social support. Conclusions: While our knowledge is growing, a better understanding of how familial and individual resilience resources and mechanisms influence adjustment to chronic pain as part of JIA is needed and can stimulate development of targeted interventions to enhance outcomes for children with JIA.