Strengthening the resilience of Myanmar children studying in monastic schools

Abstract

Three-quarters of children in Myanmar face developmental barriers and risk-increasing conditions such as poverty, broken families, and difficulty accessing basic requirements. These children rely heavily on institutionalization. Given the adverse effects of institutional systems, knowing the differing impacts of sociodemographic and cultural factors is foundational to aiding healthy personal outcomes. Thus, this study focused primarily on enhancing the resilience of children in a monastic school through a dhamma-based school intervention. A three-phase mixed quantitative-qualitative research design was applied: a descriptive survey, an experimental research method, and an interview session. Three-hundred sixty-nine middle school students from five monastic schools completed the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and personal information forms. Regarding the sociodemographic group, hierarchical multiple regression revealed a significant predictive role of positive relationship with caregivers and community support in resilience. Furthermore, we experimentally examined the effectiveness of the program on resilience and related themes in a mixed factorial design. A paired-sample t-test, and two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the intervention significantly improved resilience. Interview results evidenced the current conditions and the beneficial impact of the intervention in enhancing personal strengths. This study not only provides empirical evidence for the instant, follow-up, and transfer effects of the program but also holds implications for authorities and stakeholders in the context of social welfare for needy children regarding contributions to advance culturally well-suited programs and, consequently, the population’s mental health.