Leyla was 10 years old when her father passed away. As a result of the trauma, her mother started suffering mental health problems. Despite this, and with the help of her teachers and the backing of her school, she managed to pass the Junior Lyceum examinations.

“Leyla made it against all odds – she is an extraordinary example of child resilience,” said Anne Marie Attard, social worker at St Margaret’s College in Cottonera.

Children’s ability to survive difficult situations was highlighted during the launch of the study entitled Building Resilience in Schoolchildren at a public seminar at St Margaret’s College, Kalkara.

As reported in The Times on Wednesday, the study identifies the main factors which lead young people to develop social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and it can make quite a depressing read: one in every 10 young children is at significant risk of developing mental health problems, it warns. These can be anything from childhood depression, to anxiety or aggressiveness.

Children with poor self-esteem and self-efficacy are some of the most likely to be vulnerable. So are those who have poor relationships with their teachers and friends; those who come from single parent families with high levels of parenting stress and conflict; those who attend schools where bullying is prevalent and those whose parents have very low expectations.

“However, it’s not all doom and gloom for our children,” said Carmel Cefai and Liberato Camilleri, authors of the study. They explained that their analysis not only brings to surface the risks which lead to a child suffering from social problems but also underlines the positive factors which lead to pro-social behaviour.

The home and the classroom are, for example, the strongest influences on the learning, behaviour and development of Maltese children. “Home and the classroom is where the children form their closest relationships and attachments and spend most of their time and so these are the strongest predictors in the prevention of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties,” said Dr Cefai.

The study, published by the European Centre for Educational Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health and based on Year 4 students, provides a portrait of those pupils who are less at risk of mental health problems.

These would come from a two-parent, cohesive family with high quality time and low levels of conflict and parental stress; have good relationships with parents, siblings, teachers and peers; have high self-esteem and self-efficacy; and attend a school with low levels of bullying.

Dr Cefai called for the need for “a timely and effective intervention as soon as children start attending schools”.

The same students will be analysed again over the years so that their “pathway to resilience” can be mapped.

Dr Cefai encouraged parents and educators to work on their own resilience and not give up on a child, no matter how difficult their problems are.

“Children are resilient and bounce back. The worst thing we can do for a child is to give up hope,” he said.

Resilience in children

How to ward off social, emotional and behavioural difficulties:

• Neutralise school bullying.

• Reduce the impact of marital discord by enhancing the child’s relationships at home.

• Encourage a supportive teacher-pupil relationship.

• Promote a child’s self esteem by providing opportunities for success.

• Teach children to believe in their ability to bring about change in their own lives.

• Teach them an optimistic outlook on life.

• Promote a positive school climate.

• Create a collaborative climate between pupils.