• Climate change will shape the lives of virtually every young person alive today—no matter where they live—making it crucial for families to help young people navigate both the visible and hidden effects.
• Children are especially vulnerable to climate risks—from heatwaves to disasters—because their bodies are still developing and they need other people and community resources (e.g., schools and healthcare) to help them learn, grow, and be safe.
• Many children feel worried or distressed by alarming reports of climate change and related disasters.
• The same strategies that help children handle other challenges may support them through climate-related problems, too.
• Three main strategies can address various stages of navigating climate-related threats: reduce risks from climate change, provide access to key resources amidst a changing climate, and support recovery after disaster strikes.
• Families can work with children and the broader community to learn about local risks, identify steps that can help, and take action to protect themselves and others.

This blog post is based on research originally published in: Sanson, A. V., & Masten, A. S. (2023). Climate change and resilience: Developmental science perspectives. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 48(2), 93-102. 

Facing the reality of climate change 

There is broad scientific consensus that climate change is under way and posing serious threats to human life and well-being. Globally, the last 10 years were the hottest decade on record, with temperatures in 2024 hitting 1.5° Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial temperatures.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels

Record-breaking heat waves, wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, and flooding, like the devastating flash floods in Texas in the summer of 2025 and the catastrophic damage of Hurricane Melissa to Jamaica a few months later, are now commonplace and cause significant suffering. At the same time, climate change is causing gradual changes, such as increasing levels of acid in the oceans, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels, putting island and coastal communities at particular risk of harm.  

This unprecedented threat of climate change raises serious questions about how caregivers can support the next generation to live healthy, safe, and happy lives despite an uncertain future.

In a recent review of research on this issue, two of the authors of this post (Ann Sanson and Ann Masten) used frameworks from developmental science – resilience and positive development – to identify ways to help individuals and communities cope with climate change. In this blog post, we focus on how to support children and youth from infancy to early adulthood, whom we refer to collectively as young people. 

How does climate change affect young people’s health and physical development? 

Young people are particularly vulnerable to the negative consequences of climate change. Their less mature neural and immune systems and lower ability to detect and respond to dangers increase their risk of death and injury, diseases, respiratory conditions, and malnutrition.  

Younger children depend on care and protection from adults (parents and other caregivers) who, in disasters, are likely to be stressed and preoccupied. Worse yet, these caregivers may become unavailable through climate-related death, injury, or separation. 

Climate disasters also tend to be worse in lower-income countries, which is where most young people live. In addition, poverty is linked to greater impacts from disasters, which are exacerbated by lack of resources, poor health care, and inadequate nutrition. 

Climate change can affect young people in obvious ways (e.g., illness, injury) and less apparent ways (e.g., disruption to community programs). When young people are caught up in climate-related disasters, they can experience both immediate and long-term impacts to their health and well-being. Disasters can have ripple effects, like destroyed homes or closed schools, that disrupt children’s everyday lives and development.  

How does climate change affect young people’s mental health and psychological well-being? 

Researchers have uncovered valuable information about the psychological effects of climate change. When young people experience a climate disaster, they often show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (e.g., nightmares, intense fearfulness, irritability, intrusive memories, angry outbursts, lack of positive emotions).

They may also experience grief, anger, loss of identity, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, physical complaints, attachment disorders, increased aggression, and regressive behaviors. 

When young people experience a climate disaster, they often show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (e.g., nightmares, intense fearfulness, irritability, intrusive memories, angry outbursts, lack of positive emotions).

For example, four months after floods in Pakistan in the summer of 2010, 73% of 10- to 19-year-olds who lived in the region displayed high levels of PTSD symptoms, with displaced females being the most affected. While most children exposed to a disaster recover over time, as many as a third of children showed elevated PTSD symptoms after one year, and as many as a quarter showed symptoms two to four years later. 

Climate distress and anticipating impact

Other psychological effects arise from anticipating worsening climate impacts. In our review of studies from around the world, we learned that most young people know about climate change and many report feelings of anxiety, grief, loss, anger, frustration, hopelessness, helplessness, guilt/shame, confusion, betrayal, or a sense of abandonment, reactions collectively referred to as climate distress. 

In a recent survey of 10,000 16- to 25-year-olds from 10 nations in both the global North and South, most youth experienced significant climate distress. Almost 60% of these young people reported feeling “very” or “extremely” worried about climate change; only 5% said they were not worried at all. 

Learning from models of resilience and positive development 

Research on resilience and positive development offers helpful insights into how to protect young people’s health and development from the risks of climate change. Resilience means being able to adjust and function well after a challenge. Children draw on support from their family and community, as well as their own skills, to build resilience over time. 

Examples of resources that foster resilience in children include:   

• Community resources: emergency and health care services; child care centers and schools; and other places where children feel safe and that they belong, are supported, and can participate in religious and cultural traditions or other activities; 

• Interpersonal/family resources: sensitive caregiving; positive family routines; supportive relationships with family, friends, teachers, and mentors; and 

• Individual resources: effective stress regulation; problem-solving and self-control skills; hope; a sense of belonging, purpose, or meaning; and agency. 

These resources generally support positive development, and they may become especially important when young people are exposed to adversities, such as those resulting from climate change. 

Three strategies to promote young people’s resilience and positive development amid climate change 

Research in many countries and cultures suggests three basic ways to support healthy development in young people facing various types of adversities (Masten, 2025). In our work, we apply these three broad strategies to the challenges posed by climate change. We explore how these strategies suggest ways to act before, during, and after disaster strikes a community. 

Strategy 1: Proactively reduce the likelihood and severity of problems from climate change  

The first approach, risk reduction, aims to lessen the likelihood or lower the intensity of risks posed to young people’s development and well-being. In the context of climate change, this is the most critical strategy at a global level. 

To reduce the risk of massive suffering for current and future generations, humans must limit the progression of climate change by rapidly lowering greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions mainly arise from the production and use of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) that prevent heat from escaping the earth’s atmosphere. This emissions reduction is essential and requires broad societal changes, especially by corporations and governments. 

How communities can mitigate climate risks

On a smaller scale, many strategies can be implemented at home and in local communities to lower risks of young people encountering problems from local climate change. Individuals and local communities can develop plans by learning which climate risks (e.g., flooding, wildfire) are most likely in their area and identifying ways to stay safe. 

Involving young people in efforts to reduce the risk of disaster in age-appropriate ways can both lower risk and build their sense of agency (the belief that they can make a difference), self-efficacy (the belief that they can succeed on a particular task), and hopefulness—all of which are key drivers of resilience.

Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels

For example, if a family finds out they live in an area at risk of wildfires, they might remove vegetation around their house, install a sprinkler system, and prepare an evacuation plan. Young people can help with these tasks, such as by preparing a “go bag” with the essentials the family would need if they had to move to a safer place. 

Older youth might take responsibility for identifying what needs to be purchased, while young children could help by deciding on special snacks or toys to include in the bag. By taking steps in both the family and the broader community, families can help reduce the negative impacts of climate change on young people. 

Strategy 2: Support young people during ongoing climate change 

Families can also help young people during ongoing challenges. The second approach to promoting resilience involves boosting access to resources that support young people and protect them against risks from exposure to adversity. 

In the context of ongoing climate change, this protective strategy includes ensuring that basic needs for survival and development are met. These needs include clean water, food, medical care, and shelter, regardless of the local climate and possible future disasters. 

For healthy development, children also need responsive caregiving and access to early childhood education and good schools. Parents and teachers can commit to taking the time to listen to children’s concerns about climate change, and provide access to books and other materials to help them understand the local climate; have opportunities to appreciate nature ; and learn about climate change, risk reduction, and protecting the earth. 

Strategy 3: After climate-related disasters, collaborate with young people to strategize recovery plans 

When disaster does strike, recovery efforts become essential for survivors. The third strategy aims to mobilize or restore support for young people after disaster strikes. 

It is important to restore social support during these challenging times. Efforts can involve reuniting families separated during the event, establishing safe and comfortable caregiving alternatives when caregivers are lost or injured, and increasing a sense of belonging among displaced individuals in the aftermath of disasters. 

Listening to young people and engaging with them in activities that build agency and a sense of individual and collective efficacy (the belief that people together can make a difference) can help counter feelings of anxiety, helplessness, and despair, while also building problem-solving and coping capacities.

Photo by Artem Podrez on Pexels

Restoring familiar routines

Similarly, restoring familiar routines, such as school schedules, family rituals, sports activities, and traditional cultural practices, can also convey a sense of meaning and normalcy while facing adversity.

It is important to restore social support during these challenging times.

For example, after schools in a community have been devastated by a hurricane, a coordinated response by government agencies and non-governmental organizations could quickly establish child-friendly spaces where young children can feel safe, adolescents are invited to organize activities, and parents can share their experiences and plans for the future.

Ways to help young people cope with the challenge of climate change 

The following suggestions are ways caregivers can use these three strategies to help young people manage amid climate change. Caregivers can:  

1. Minimize the likelihood that young people will experience climate disasters through individual and collective efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., shifting toward a more plant-based diet, voting for politicians who support climate action).  
2. Identify sources of potential harm to neighborhoods and encourage community action to prevent or prepare for likely disasters. 
3. Ensure that homes, schools, playgrounds, and other spaces where young people spend time are designed (or updated) to withstand anticipated climate change, as much as possible. 
4. Find out together where to go in an emergency (e.g., shelters, clinics) and help young people feel prepared, not panicked. 
5. Demonstrate caring about the planet by modeling related actions, such as biking to school, growing vegetables, or talking about your hopes for a healthier world.
6. Talk to young people about climate change:
   • Find out what they know and how they feel.  
   • If they express worry or other negative emotions, validate them while also providing realistic reassurance (e.g., “I can understand why you are worried, it is a big problem. It helps me if I think about what I can do to help, and about all the people around the world trying to address this problem”). 
   • Discuss local risks with young people, and build their sense of agency by identifying actions they can take alone, actions that can be taken as a family, and actions they can take with others (e.g., turning off the lights when leaving a room, recycling, planting flowers for bees and butterflies, and advocating for protective policy changes). Build young people’s sense of hope. Be clear and realistic. Young children may find it helpful to know that many adults are working on these issues. Older children may be interested in specific information about what scientists and organizations are doing to protect the planet. 
   • Encourage older children to join other young people in their climate actions, which is likely to be more fun, as well as more educational and effective. They may also want to know about how youth around the world are joining in efforts to persuade policymakers and decision makers to take action for the climate.  
   • Older children may also appreciate reminders that “we have solved big problems before” with examples they can relate to (e.g., abolishing slavery, rebuilding communities after wildfires and hurricanes, reducing the use of pesticides that kill birds), noting the importance of many people coming together to demand change. 
7. If a climate-related disaster strikes, restore a sense of safety, security, and belonging: 
   • Reconnect (or build new relationships) with neighbors, teachers, or places young people know and love. 
   • Bring back comforting routines (e.g., bedtime stories, family meals, walks to school) as much as possible. 
   • Give young people an important role to play in recovery and reconstruction (e.g.,  helping with cleanups or food deliveries to those in need).  

Helping children thrive through climate change

Climate change poses serious risks to young people’s well-being. By modeling care, building agency, and working together before, during, and after climate-related challenges, caregivers can support their young children’s resilience.

Together, families can face the climate crisis not just with worry, but with wisdom, strength, and hope.

The post Helping children thrive through climate change: Strategies for raising resilient youth in a warming world appeared first on Child and Family Blog.

• While occasional arguments with siblings or peers are a normal part of childhood, more frequent conflicts may harm children’s behavioral and emotional development.
• Managing children’s conflict behavior can be challenging for caregivers, especially since few evidence-based interventions specifically target sibling or peer conflict.
• Our research explored an evidence-based parenting program designed for preschool and primary school aged children with disruptive behavior. The program aims to improve parent-child relationships. Our results suggest that this program may also reduce sibling conflict in families with high levels of sibling conflict. However, we did not find broader benefits for children’s relationships with peers.
• For families dealing with frequent sibling conflict, evidence-based parenting programs may be a promising resource for learning techniques to reduce conflict between siblings.
• We need to understand more about how to support families when children struggle with conflicts outside the home, such as with peers. This might involve collaborations between families and schools to promote children’s positive development.

Introduction

In this blog post, we briefly answer five main questions:

• What is children’s conflict behavior?
• How might conflict harm children’s development?
• How can communities support caregivers to reduce children’s conflict behavior?
• What is the Incredible Years parenting program?
• What do we know and what do we still need to understand about how to reduce children’s conflict behavior?

What is children’s conflict behavior?

Children’s conflict with their parents takes many forms. It might involve refusing to follow instructions and getting angry when things do not go their way. Conflict with other children might be more likely to involve physical or verbal arguments.

Photo by Monstera Production on Pexels

How might conflict harm children’s development?

Frequent conflict with siblings and peers can increase children’s risk of later mental health problems, such as higher levels of aggression. This might occur because conflict with siblings inadvertently teaches children to behave in increasingly aggressive ways. Additionally, children may be more likely to make friends with peers who show similarly disruptive behaviors, which can encourage further aggression.

How can communities support caregivers to reduce children’s conflict behavior?

Evidence-based interventions that specifically address children’s conflict with other children are limited, especially those that address sibling relationships. One promising approach may be group-based parenting programs that target children’s disruptive behavior more broadly. The effectiveness of such programs at reducing the broader range of disruptive behavior has been demonstrated in decades of research worldwide.

Group-based parenting programs aim to help caregivers interact more positively with their children, which in turn helps reduce children’s disruptive behavior. Goals often include replacing negative interaction patterns between parents and children, which might unintentionally reinforce challenging behavior in children, with more constructive techniques to help support children’s development.

Although the focus of such programs is improving parent-child relationships, improvements in the parent-child dynamic may spill over into children’s relationships with others, such as their siblings and peers.

Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels

Understanding whether parenting programs for children’s disruptive behavior can also reduce children’s conflicts with their siblings and peers is important. If these relationships do improve, it suggests that these programs might be even more effective than previously thought. In contrast, if the programs do not improve children’s conflict behavior, families may require additional support.

What is the Incredible Years parenting program?

To address this research gap, we analyzed data from more than 1,400 families. Each family participated in one of 12 published studies completed prior to 2016 in six European countries. In each study, researchers randomly assigned families of children ages 1-11 years to either the Incredible Years parenting program or an alternative experience, such as a normal care provision, or a waiting list to receive Incredible Years. Our goal was to assess the Incredible Years program’s effects on children’s conflict with parents, siblings, and peers.

About the program

Incredible Years is one of the most extensively researched group-based parenting programs for managing young children’s disruptive behavior. The program developers drew from scientific findings about children’s behavior, family relationships, and effective intervention strategies. More than 50 studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing children’s disruptive behavior. Given its strong evidence base, influential organizations such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the United Kingdom, the Youth Institute in the Netherlands, and Blueprints in the United States have recommended the program.

In the program, caregivers meet in small groups led by trained facilitators for 12 to 18 weekly sessions. Caregivers are taught techniques for building warm relationships with their children (e.g., using responsive play) and encouraging positive child behavior (e.g., using praise and rewards). Facilitators also introduce methods to discourage children’s negative behavior through setting limits and constructive discipline techniques (e.g., time-outs, the removal of privileges).

Although the focus of such programs is improving parent-child relationships, improvements in the parent-child dynamic may spill over into children’s relationships with others, such as their siblings and peers.

An important part of the program is its collaborative approach. Caregivers work with group facilitators to set and pursue their own parenting goals. For example, some caregivers might choose to focus on strategies to reduce fighting between siblings. Since caregivers decide their own parenting goals, some families might focus on addressing disruptive behaviour in multiple children, while others might concentrate on the behaviour of one child.

Our research

We combined the data from the 12 studies. In all studies, caregivers were randomly assigned to either take part in the Incredible Years program or to a control condition in which they did not participate in the program.

Each study measured caregivers’ perceptions of the frequency of their child’s conflict with parents, siblings, and peers. When families had more than one child, we used data from the child with the highest level of disruptive behaviour at the beginning of the study.

Photo by SHVETS production on Pexels

The 12 studies took place in six European countries: England, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Wales. The children in the studies ranged from 1 – 11 years old, with most children aged between 4 and 7 years. Of the children, 61% were male.

The participating caregivers were primarily mothers (97%), with an average age of 34 years. Families had diverse socioeconomic backgrounds: 60% had low incomes, 36% were from families in which no one was employed, and 30% were from an ethnic minority.

Our findings

Participating in the Incredible Years program reduced the frequency of children’s conflict with their parents. Parents who took part in the Incredible Years program reported greater decreases in conflicts with their child (for example, fewer instances of their child refusing to follow their instructions) compared to parents who did not take part in the program. This was what we expected, because the program is designed to improve parent-child relationships.

The unexpected finding was that for the 22% of families with high levels of sibling conflict at the start of the program (where parents, on average, rated their child as ‘often’ or ‘always’ having conflict with their sibling), Incredible Years also reduced children’s sibling conflicts.

This might have happened because new techniques like limit-setting helped caregivers address sibling arguments more effectively. Also, if caregivers interacted more positively with the child with the most severe disruptive behavior in the family, that child may have modelled this behavior with their siblings.

Finally, applying the new parenting techniques to all children in the family (e.g., praising children’s positive behavior and selectively ignoring children’s minor negative behavior) might have led to overall improvements in behavior, reducing sibling arguments.

Stronger collaboration between families and schools may help ensure that positive changes in children’s behavior at home are supported and sustained.

However, taking part in the Incredible Years program did not reduce children’s conflict with peers. This might be because it is hard for children to change their behavior outside the home in a setting where others (e.g., teachers, peers) have not changed how they interact with them.

What do we know and what do we still need to understand about how to reduce children’s conflict behavior?

Group-based parenting programs targeting children’s disruptive behavior are well-known for strengthening parent-child relationships and promoting positive child development. Our study shows that one such program, the Incredible Years program, not only enhances parent-child relationships, but may also help reduce sibling conflicts, particularly for families experiencing high levels of sibling conflict.

Taking part in the Incredible Years program did not have an effect on children’s conflict with peers. This does not necessarily mean these programs cannot reduce peer conflict, but that communities need to understand more about how to support families when children’s conflict with peers is a concern.

Stronger collaboration between families and schools may help ensure that positive changes in children’s behavior at home are supported and sustained in school environments.

The post Can parenting programs improve young children’s sibling and peer relationships? appeared first on Child and Family Blog.