Exploring Risk and Resilience in the Lives of Children in Conflict with the Law

Abstract

Children in conflict with the law constitute a vulnerable group since adolescence is a critical period involving rapid transitions in psychological, social, cognitive, and emotional processes. Coming in conflict with the law can disrupt these developmental processes, which may impact the children s socio-emotional adjustment and well- being. Situating the children within an ecological framework, which recognises the importance of the multiple levels of vulnerability that may impact the children s lives and bring them in contact with the law, this research endeavour focused on thirty-six children in the care of an Observation Home in Delhi. With a particular focus on the individual, it was observed how one level interacts with other systems, including the family, peers, and community. The primary aim of this research was to understand the risk and resilience processes in the children s lives, particularly examining and exploring trauma, mentalisation, mental health concerns and adaptation/ resilience of the children. These factors have not been studied in conjunction in an Indian context. To fill this lacuna, mixed methods, parallel design was utilised for this purpose, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative measures- questionnaires assessing each variable under study and in-depth interviews that delved into the experiences of the children. Descriptive, inferential statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyse and interpret the data. Triangulation of the results indicated that the children had experienced significant trauma in their lives (particularly in the attachment relationships with their parents), mentalisation difficulties and mental health concerns. However, their scores on the resilience measure indicated that they had high resilience despite the chronic trauma they endured. In addition, they had a potential for optimal mentalisation, which can be considered a protective factor and can be understood as a target of intervention to increase perspective-taking, accountability and a resource