Study shows the value of positive friends for Aboriginal kids

A new study has found that having a friend with good social skills and a supportive family may make the critical difference to the resilience of Aboriginal young people.

The research by The Kids Research Institute Australia has been published in online journal PLOS ONE.

The study looked at the mental health of more than 1020 young people aged 12 to 17 years from data collected in the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey.

PhD candidate and lead author Katrina Hopkins said the study revealed differences in the types of factors protecting the mental health of Aboriginal youth living in high risk compared to low risk family environments.

The study found that over half (57%) of Aboriginal young people did well despite living in a family struggling with poverty, family violence and low resources for parenting children. The key difference for these Aboriginal teenagers was the type of friend they had.

"We found that vulnerable Aboriginal young people with a prosocial friend were more than twice as likely to have good mental health as those young people with no prosocial friend," Ms Hopkins said.  

"Prosocial friends are the kinds of kids who give their vulnerable friend encouragement and support, are actively involved in community sports or other activities, don't use drugs or alcohol or get into trouble with police, and like to spend lots of time with their own families.

"The results show that having a prosocial friend is particularly protective for Aboriginal young people in those families struggling with poverty, family violence and low resources for parenting children, whereas a prosocial friend is less important for young people in relatively well functioning families."

Ms Hopkins said school-based programs like the Bush Ranger Cadet Program were ideally placed to provide opportunities for kids to make friends while also connecting Aboriginal youth to school, and engaging them in conservation activities consistent with their cultural responsibilities for land.

Citation:
Hopkins KD, Zubrick SR, Taylor CL (2014) Resilience amongst Australian Aboriginal Youth: An Ecological Analysis of Factors Associated with Psychosocial Functioning in High and Low Family Risk Contexts. PLoS ONE 9(7): e102820. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0102820

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About the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS)
The WAACHS is the most comprehensive representative survey of WA Aboriginal children and families ever undertaken. The survey was designed to build the knowledge to develop preventative strategies that promote the healthy development and the social, emotional, academic and vocational wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The survey took three years to complete and involved a random sample of more than 5200 Aboriginal children, or one in five Aboriginal children in Western Australia.  The survey included interviews with 11 300 family members, 2000 families, and more than 3000 teachers.