JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The impact of adverse childhood experiences has been the focus of most studies for the past decade. There is an indication that developing resilience can help youth overcome these adverse childhood experiences.

Objective:

The objective of this study is to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a resilience-building intervention for individuals with adverse childhood experiences.

Methods:

The current study is a two-armed, single-blinded, randomized control trial design. Fifty participants will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group includes an evidence-based curriculum and components such as emotional regulation, active coping & goal setting, cognitive flexibility, physical health, mindfulness-based stress reduction, social support, self-exploration, resources and navigation, financial planning, and spirituality and religion. Meanwhile, the control group participants will not receive any form of intervention.

Results:

The outcomes of this study will include general health, patient health, coping strategies, psychological well-being, quality of life, perceived stress, and adult resilience. Pre- and post-assessment will be conducted, including the intention-to-treat analysis.

Conclusions:

This is the first full clinical trial study investigating resilience-building intervention for youths with adverse childhood experiences in Malaysia. There are limited studies evaluating the effectiveness of resilience-building interventions combining mental health and physiological responses as outcome measures in Malaysia.