Validation of a Protective and Promotive Factors Measure: The Youth Thrive Survey

This article describes the background, development, and validation of the strengths-based, youth-driven Youth Thrive Survey which measures the 5 protective and promotive factors delineated in the Youth Thrive Framework; specifically: youth resilience, social connections, knowledge of adolescent development, concrete support in times of need, and cognitive and social-emotional competence. Draft instruments were created that included new items and adapted items from existing validated instruments. Revisions were based on feedback from young people who participated in focus groups, cognitive interviews, and field-testing. Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to measure internal consistency and reliability of the full instrument and the 5 protective and promotive factor subscales. Principal component analyses revealed items that did not fit well within the instrument structure and subsequently were eliminated. Analyses of the final version of the instrument showed that the Youth Thrive Survey has high levels of internal consistency and reliability. All alphas for the subscales were greater than 0.80 and the alpha for the full instrument was 0.963. This web-based, self-report survey is appropriate for use by organizations serving young people ages 12 to 26, both those who are involved with child welfare and juvenile justice systems and those who have no history of such involvement. It can be used for assessment and case planning with youth, program evaluation, and continuous quality improvement. The Youth Thrive Survey, available in English and Spanish, shows great promise and utility for organizations that employ positive youth development approaches.

Resilience in Developmental Systems

This chapter highlights findings from the developmental research on resilience in children and families. From a developmental systems perspective, resilience is defined as the capacity of a dynamic system to adapt successfully to challenges that threaten the function, survival, or development of the system. Principles that inform this perspective are delineated, along with implications for the meaning of resilience and its applications in practice. Many interacting systems shape the development of individuals as well as families, such that capacity for adapting successfully to adversity will depend on the interactions of multiple systems. Salient models of resilience are discussed along with key concepts in developmental resilience science, such as pathways, cascades, promotive factors, and protective factors. Common resilience factors observed across system levels are identified from studies of human resilience. A resilience framework for action is described, including five components, and new horizons in developmental multisystem resilience research are summarized.

A socio-ecological analysis of risk, protective and promotive factors for the mental health of Burundian refugee children living in refugee camps

Children and adolescents’ mental health risk and resilience arise from a complex interplay of factors on several socio-ecological levels. However, little is known about the factors that shape the mental health of refugee youth living in refugee camps close to ongoing conflict. We conducted a cross-sectional study with a representative sample of 217 Burundian refugee children aged 7–15 and their mothers residing in refugee camps in Tanzania to investigate associations between risk, protective and promotive factors from various ecological levels (individual, microsystem, exosystem), and children’s post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, internalizing and externalizing problems, and prosocial behavior. Data were collected using structured clinical interviews and analyzed using multiple regression models. Exposure to violence across all contexts and engagement coping were risk factors for PTSD symptoms and internalizing problems, while only violence by mothers seemed to increase children’s vulnerability for externalizing problems. A differential impact of violence exposures on prosocial behavior was observed. Higher-quality friendships appeared to protect youth from PTSD symptoms and externalizing problems, while they also promoted children’s prosocial behavior, just as mothers’ social support networks. Prevention and intervention approaches should integrate risk, protective and promotive factors for refugee youth’s mental health across multiple ecological contexts and take into account context-specific and adaptive responses to war and displacement.

Skills for Preventing Injury in Youth: Evaluating Change in Adolescent Alcohol Use, Violence, and Road-Related Injuries

This study evaluated the injury prevention program, Skills for Preventing Injury in Youth (SPIY) for Year 9 students (aged 13–14 years). The aim of SPIY was to reduce adolescent injury by reducing engagement in risk-taking behaviors. A randomized controlled trial was conducted and data analyzed with 32 schools, N = 2,739 students at baseline. Students’ self-reported injury prior to the commencement of SPIY and at 6 and 12 months after the program concluded. For those with few protective factors at baseline, there was less increase in alcohol-related injuries and a decline in violence-related injuries for intervention compared with control students. Findings showed the SPIY program can be effective in reducing adolescent injury for those with few promotive factors.