Enhancing Children's Resilience and Subjective Well-Being through Mother-Led Counseling: A Systematic Literature Review

  • Fatrida Anugrah Syafri 
    Universitas Bengkulu
    Indonesia
  • Sudarwan Danim
    Universitas Bengkulu
    Indonesia
  • I Wayan Dharmayana
    Universitas Bengkulu
    Indonesia

Abstract

This Systematic Literature Review (SLR) examines the impact of mother-led counseling on children's resilience and subjective well-being in family settings. The review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines with the Watase Uake: Research Collaboration Tools, focusing on studies published between 2020 and 2025. A total of 468 Scopus articles were initially identified, and 21 studies met the inclusion criteria for in-depth analysis. This study employs is to investigate three primary objectives: (1) the influence of mother-led counseling on children's subjective well-being and resilience development; (2) the differential effectiveness of mother-led counseling approaches based on gender; and (3) the interplay of lifestyle factors, including sleep, screen time, and physical activity, with mother-led counseling to improve children's overall well-being. Mother-led counseling, defined as counseling led by mothers to provide emotional support and coping strategies, was found to significantly enhance children's emotional resilience. The analysis highlighted gender differences, with girls benefiting more from emotional support and self-compassion strategies, while boys required additional strategies for resilience development. Additionally, lifestyle factors such as physical activity, sleep, and screen time regulation were found to interact with counseling outcomes, although the strength of evidence varied across studies. This review distinguishes mother-led counseling from broader parental interventions, emphasizing the unique role of mothers in fostering children's emotional growth. It provides a gender-sensitive framework for effective family-based counseling and offers insights for designing targeted intervention programs and policies to improve children's resilience and well-being.

Keywords
  • Mother-led counseling
  • Resilience
  • Subjective well-being
  • Systematic literature review
Lisensing Information
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite
Syafri, F. A., Danim, S., & Dharmayana, I. W. (2025). Enhancing Children’s Resilience and Subjective Well-Being through Mother-Led Counseling: A Systematic Literature Review. KONSELOR, 14(3), 230–243. https://doi.org/10.24036/02025143132-0-86
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX
References
  1. Albhirat, M. M., Rashid, A., Rasheed, R., Rasool, S., Zulkiffli, S. N. A., Zia-ul-Haq, H. M., & Mohammad, A. M. (2024). The PRISMA statement in enviropreneurship study: A systematic literature and a research agenda. In Cleaner Engineering and Technology (Vol. 18). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2024.100721
  2. Arribas, C., Catalá, P., Peñacoba, C., Crespo, M., & Kestler-Peleg, M. (2025). Child-Centrism as an Adaptive Parenting Style: A Prospective Study in Motherhood from Women’s Life Satisfaction Including Cognitive–Emotional Resources. Children, 12(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/children12050601
  3. Asanjarani, F., Kumar, A., & Kalani, S. (2023). Student Subjective Wellbeing amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic in Iran: Role of Loneliness, Resilience and Parental Involvement. Child Indicators Research, 16(1), 53–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-022-09963-z
  4. Chen, X., Li, M., Gong, H., Zhang, Z., & Wang, W. (2021). Factors influencing adolescent anxiety: The roles of mothers, teachers and peers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413234
  5. Esteban-Gonzalo, S., Esteban-Gonzalo, L., Cabanas-Sánchez, V., Miret, M., & Veiga, O. L. (2020). The investigation of gender differences in subjective wellbeing in children and adolescents: The up&down study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082732
  6. Fagermoen, E. M., Jensen, T. K., Martinsen, M., & Ormhaug, S. M. (2023). Parent-Led Stepped Care Trauma Treatment: Parents’ Experiences With Helping Their Child Recover. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 16(4), 1065–1077. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-023-00537-x
  7. Goswami, H., Goswami, G. G., Banik, B. K., & Khalil, M. I. (2023). Factors Associated with Children’s Subjective Wellbeing During COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh. Child Indicators Research, 16(5), 1889–1911. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-023-10044-y
  8. Kotera, Y., Green, P., & Sheffield, D. (2022). Positive Psychology for Mental Wellbeing of UK Therapeutic Students: Relationships with Engagement, Motivation, Resilience and Self-Compassion. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20(3), 1611–1626. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00466-y
  9. Kumar, D., Hameed, W., & Avan, B. I. (2023). Comparing the effectiveness of mother-focused interventions to that of mother-child focused interventions in improving maternal postpartum depression outcomes: A systematic review. PLoS ONE, 18(12 December). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295955
  10. Luthar, S. S., & Brown, P. J. (2007). Maximizing resilience through diverse levels of inquiry: Prevailing paradigms, possibilities, and priorities for the future. Development and Psychopathology, 19(3). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579407000454
  11. Masten, A. S. (2018). Resilience Theory and Research on Children and Families: Past, Present, and Promise. In Journal of Family Theory and Review (Vol. 10, Issue 1). https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12255
  12. McNamara, J., Townsend, M. L., & Herbert, J. S. (2019). A systemic review of maternal wellbeing and its relationship with maternal fetal attachment and early postpartum bonding. PLoS ONE, 14(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220032
  13. Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., Antes, G., Atkins, D., Barbour, V., Barrowman, N., Berlin, J. A., Clark, J., Clarke, M., Cook, D., D’Amico, R., Deeks, J. J., Devereaux, P. J., Dickersin, K., Egger, M., Ernst, E., Gøtzsche, P. C., … Tugwell, P. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. In PLoS Medicine (Vol. 6, Issue 7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097
  14. Monika, M., Majeed, J., & Sharma, N. (2023). Emotional Maturity, Resilience, Parent Adolescent Relationship and Peer Pressure as predictors of Psychological Well-being among adolescents of Indian Working and Non-working Mothers. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2595500/v1
  15. Paul, J., Lim, W. M., O’Cass, A., Hao, A. W., & Bresciani, S. (2021). Scientific procedures and rationales for systematic literature reviews (SPAR-4-SLR). International Journal of Consumer Studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12695
  16. Pickett, K. E., Ajebon, M., Hou, B., Kelly, B., Bird, P. K., Dickerson, J., Shire, K., McIvor, C., Mon-Williams, M., Small, N., McEachan, R., Wright, J., & Lawlor, D. (2022). Vulnerabilities in child well-being among primary school children: a cross-sectional study in Bradford, UK. BMJ Open, 12(6). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049416
  17. Puspitawati, H., Sarma, M., Herawati, T., Yuliati, L. N., & Azizah, Y. (2020). MODEL OF FAMILY SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING IN RURAL AND SUB URBAN FAMILIES. Jurnal Ilmu Keluarga Dan Konsumen, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.24156/jikk.2020.13.2.99
  18. Southwick, S. M., Bonanno, G. A., Masten, A. S., Panter-Brick, C., & Yehuda, R. (2014). Resilience definitions, theory, and challenges: Interdisciplinary perspectives. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 5. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v5.25338
  19. Sudfeld, C. R., Bliznashka, L., Ashery, G., Yousafzai, A. K., & Masanja, H. (2021). Effect of a home-based health, nutrition and responsive stimulation intervention and conditional cash transfers on child development and growth: A cluster-randomised controlled trial in Tanzania. BMJ Global Health, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005086
  20. Sun, J., Jiang, X., & Wei, S. (2023). Combinations of physical activity, screen time and sleep, and their association with subjective wellbeing in children. In Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice (Vol. 51). Churchill Livingstone. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2023.101720
  21. Todd, E., Pond, R., & Coomber, K. (2025). Client Perspectives of Family Therapy: A Qualitative Systematic Review. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 51(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.70024
  22. Tomlinson, M., Rabie, S., Skeen, S., Hunt, X., Murray, L., & Cooper, P. J. (2020). Improving mother–infant interaction during infant feeding: A randomised controlled trial in a low-income community in South Africa. Infant Mental Health Journal, 41(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21881
  23. Totsika, V., Hastings, R. P., Emerson, E., Lancaster, G. A., Berridge, D. M., & Vagenas, D. (2013). Is There a Bidirectional Relationship Between Maternal Well-Being and Child Behavior Problems in Autism Spectrum Disorders? Longitudinal Analysis of a Population-Defined Sample of Young Children. Autism Research, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1279
  24. Tsormpatzoudi, S. O., Moraitou, D., Papaliagkas, V., Pezirkianidis, C., & Tsolaki, M. (2023). Resilience in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): Examining the Level and the Associations of Resilience with Subjective Wellbeing and Negative Affect in Early and Late-Stage MCI. Behavioral Sciences, 13(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13100792
  25. Xiao, E., Jin, J., Hong, Z., & Zhang, J. (2022). The Relationship Between Children and Their Maternal Uncles: A Unique Parenting Mode in Mosuo Culture. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873137

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Check for updates

Issue

Downloads

PDF

Statistic

Abstract Views
: 38 times
PDF
: 38 times