Cadernos de Saúde Pública
On-line version ISSN 1678-4464
JUNQUEIRA, Maria de Fátima Pinheiro da Silva and DESLANDES, Suely Ferreira. Resilience and child abuse. Cad. Saúde Pública [online]. 2003, vol.19, n.1, pp. 227-235. ISSN 1678-4464. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2003000100025.
The article discusses the resilience concept from a critical review. It prioritizes texts produced by organizations with leading roles in the field of child and adolescent health (PAHO, Pan-American Health Organization; ASBRA, the Brazilian Association for Adolescence). The main definitions of resilience are discussed, along with a debate on the contributions and limitations of the current literature. Furthermore, the conceptual and operative possibilities of resilience when confronted with child abuse are discussed, specifically using intra-familial sexual abuse as an example. The authors conclude that the concept of resilience presents polarization around certain axes: "adaptation/overcoming process", "innate/acquired", "permanent/circumstantial". However, they all point to a common ground: the singularity and delicacy of micro-social health-promoting relationships.
Keywords : Child Abuse; Sexual Child Abuse; Child Health.