“Being Open About Struggle”: Youth Practices and Perspectives on Resilience
2 months ago 2 months agoYouthREX Research Summaries ask Just Six Questions of research publications on key youth issues. These summaries get at what the youth sector needs to know in two pages or less!
1. What is the research about?
The focus of this study was on barriers and facilitators to resilience for youth – their capacity “to navigate their way to the psychological, social, cultural, and physical resources that sustain their wellbeing, and their capacity individually and collectively to negotiate for these resources to be provided and experienced in culturally meaningful ways” (p. 4).
Given that youth benefit from resilience in terms of health and wellbeing, even in spite of adversity, the researchers wanted to examine young people’s everyday life experiences, how they create coping mechanisms, and their take on “what helps and what hurts” (p. 5). In addition to offering insights into youth’s perspectives, this research also illustrates the different ways that youth respond to stress, hardship, or trauma.
2. Where did the research take place?
The research took place in the United States.
3. Who is this research about?
This research focuses on young people between the ages of 14 to 24 years. Respondents predominantly identified as white (66%) and female (48%); 30% were classified as low socioeconomic status, defined as qualifying for free or reduced lunch in high school. The mean age of participants was 18.98 years.
“As youth continue to experience their formative years through new uncertain times, understanding their take on what helps and hurts can support progress in resilience research… The benefits of experiencing resilience are manifold. Resilience can come from adults who empower youth and to improve youth’s sense of mattering and family wellbeing” (p. 3).
4. How was this research done?
The research collected qualitative data (describing qualities, characteristics, processes, or experiences) from a large, national sample of youth by leveraging MyVoice, a text message poll of youth across the United States; every week, youth are sent three to five brief, open-ended questions in 12-week cycles on a variety of topics. Young people between 14-24-years-old who have access to SMS text messaging are eligible to participate.
A cohort of 1,148 MyVoice participants received five questions from the researchers on October 16, 2020, and had one week to respond directly by text message. These open-ended questions asked youth what they do to manage their stress, what helps them to be resilient when facing challenges, what would help to foster resiliency, and what makes it hard to be resilient, as well as for examples of their resilience. The final sample size included 894 youth; 885 participants provided a valid response to at least one of the five questions.
The text message responses were downloaded for analysis, which involved identifying patterns and themes that reflected participants’ perspectives. The researchers also considered how these perspectives aligned with the Social Ecological Resilience model, which includes four interdependent layers of experience that can contribute to resilience in ways that are unique to each person: the personal, the relational, the structural, and the spiritual/cultural.
5. What are the key findings?
The researchers identified four primary themes, and connected these to the four layers of the Social Ecological Resilience model to identify three youth-reported behaviours and perspectives. The findings support
an understanding of how youth experience stress and resilience.
Four Primary Themes:
i) Relationships are the key to resilience.
A sense of belonging and unwavering and compassionate guidance and support are crucial, as provided by strong and mutually-supportive relationships with family, friends, and community. Young people appreciate open discussions about the challenges they face and find strength in confiding in someone they can trust.
ii) Perspective is everything.
The ways that young people attribute meaning to stressful events in their lives or reframe these events contribute to their ability to practice resilience. The capacity to make meaning from their experiences was identified as important. Some youth described using personal affirmations to persevere, while others found it easier to lean into distractions. Mindfulness and spirituality were also referenced by young people.
iii) Resources can help build and maintain resilience.
Formal and informal resources to support mental health and wellbeing are needed. Youth described a lack of access to formal resources – such as those provided by mental health practitioners or healthcare providers – as well as low mental health literacy, the ways in which mental health remains stigmatized, and a lack of diversity among mental health care providers. Youth also identified that access to life management skills resources should also be facilitated.
iv) Resilience is difficult to practice when you feel out of control.
Feeling a lack of control – whether due to personal crises, life changes, or global unrest – and a sense of instability make it difficult for youth to practice resilience. Data collection took place in the fall of 2020, so many respondents cited the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, and several mentioned climate change. Young people also referenced the failures of political leadership to be in touch with younger generations and increasing polarization on social and political issues.
Three Youth-Reported Behaviours and Perspectives:
i) Living meaningfully and making sense of the world – the personal and the spiritual/cultural.
Meaning-making or finding meaning in life is a protective factor for youth mental health and wellbeing, and spirituality can support responses to stress.
ii) Improvements to systems and social expectations – the structural and the spiritual/cultural.
Personal crises and life events, as well as social, cultural, and political contexts, can all contribute to feelings of hopelessness, loneliness, and distress. Stability and agency are important for youth to practice resilience.
iii) The impact of others on wellbeing – the relational.
One-on-one relationships are central to youth resilience, and collective action and/or community building can also engender hope in times of adversity or despair.
6. Why does it matter for youth work?
This study is important for youth work because it provides valuable information about the stressors that young people face and how they manage to remain resilient in their daily lives. Understanding the different strategies that young people find helpful to manage challenges and develop resilience is critical for youth workers, who can prioritize building authentic and trusting relationships, creating spaces where youth can explore and make sense of issues of concern – whether personal or related to social, cultural, or political factors – and provide support in navigating and accessing resources.
Prideaux, J., Vaughn, L. M., Chuisano, S. A., Thrower, D., & DeJonckheere, M. (2024). “Being open about struggle”: Youth practices and perspectives on resilience. Youth & Society, 57(1), 3-29.
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Categorised in: Research Summary