Given the growing levels of mental distress among young New Zealanders, there is an urgent need to cultivate resilience in children so they can be better equipped to navigate adversity and flourish in life.
Key findings: - The mental health of children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand is deteriorating, with rangatahi Māori, rainbow youth, and young people living in poverty experiencing the highest burden.
- Promoting resilience in children and young people can help them adapt to a constantly changing world and is an important preventative approach to reducing the risk of mental distress later in life.
- Resilience can be cultivated through the development of executive functioning, self-regulation, and interpersonal skills, and through the nurturing of relationships, social identity, and a sense of belonging.
- Targeted, tailored, and culturally appropriate programmes that help develop the skills underlying resilience may be especially helpful for New Zealand youth.
- Parents, schools, communities, policymakers, and government have an important role and responsibility to promote resilience in children and young people to help them flourish.
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