COVID-19 Impacts on Children and Resources for Resilience: What Is the Direction of Causation?
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| Title: | COVID-19 Impacts on Children and Resources for Resilience: What Is the Direction of Causation? |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Hongcui Du (ORCID |
| Source: | Developmental Science. 2026 29(3). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: | P50HD052120 R01HD709292 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | COVID-19, Resilience (Psychology), Pandemics, Twins, Children |
| DOI: | 10.1111/desc.70172 |
| ISSN: | 1363-755X 1467-7687 |
| Abstract: | COVID-19 has profoundly affected children's well-being. Resilience was often found to be negatively correlated with COVID-19 impacts. However, the role of resilience in directly shaping COVID-19 impacts on children remains unclear, as studies report conflicting evidence regarding the potential causal direction between COVID-19 impacts and resilience. Higher resilience could reduce COVID-19 impacts, while COVID-19 impacts may also disrupt or enhance resilience. Or it could be the case that the two are simply correlated due to shared underlying common factors. This preregistered study uses a twin-based Direction of Causation modeling approach with data from 1166 twins (age: M = 12.59; 50.78% male; 85.08% White) to explore the causal direction between COVID-19 impacts and resilience. Resilience was assessed using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM)--Child Version, a child self-report questionnaire assessing resources available for children's resilience. Findings revealed a causal effect such that resilience resources explained 32% variance in overall COVID-19 impacts, consistently buffering negative outcomes across multiple domains (e.g., social connections, general stress, and COVID-related stress). A reciprocal causal effect was found for economic impacts, with resilience mitigating economic impacts and economic challenges enhancing resilience. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Notes: | https://ldbase.org/datasets/d1bd167f-b5e6-4a56-ae2d-5f67609977a3 |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1504303 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | COVID-19 has profoundly affected children's well-being. Resilience was often found to be negatively correlated with COVID-19 impacts. However, the role of resilience in directly shaping COVID-19 impacts on children remains unclear, as studies report conflicting evidence regarding the potential causal direction between COVID-19 impacts and resilience. Higher resilience could reduce COVID-19 impacts, while COVID-19 impacts may also disrupt or enhance resilience. Or it could be the case that the two are simply correlated due to shared underlying common factors. This preregistered study uses a twin-based Direction of Causation modeling approach with data from 1166 twins (age: M = 12.59; 50.78% male; 85.08% White) to explore the causal direction between COVID-19 impacts and resilience. Resilience was assessed using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM)--Child Version, a child self-report questionnaire assessing resources available for children's resilience. Findings revealed a causal effect such that resilience resources explained 32% variance in overall COVID-19 impacts, consistently buffering negative outcomes across multiple domains (e.g., social connections, general stress, and COVID-related stress). A reciprocal causal effect was found for economic impacts, with resilience mitigating economic impacts and economic challenges enhancing resilience. |
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| ISSN: | 1363-755X 1467-7687 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/desc.70172 |
