July 28, 2020
Health and Wellness Tidbits: Revealing Resilience - Adversity and Young People
This is the first of a three-part series about Revealing Resilience among young people in spite of the adversity of COVID-19 and uncertainty.
COVID-19 continues to inflict waves of adversity for families and communities. It seems that each week the global pandemic slams the fortitude of adults and children alike. Among children, the strain can be especially detrimental if they feel pressure to hide their feelings of stress. Specially, the national study of 1,516 young people between ages 13-19 conducted this spring by The Harris Poll for National 4-H Council revealed that “64% believed that the experience of COVID-19 will have lasting impact on their generation’s mental health,” and that “61% of teens said that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased their feeling of loneliness.“ (Teen Mental Health, 4-H Harris Poll)
As concerning as these results are, they are not surprising. For example, in February 2019 a national Pew Research Center survey of 13-17 year olds across the US revealed that anxiety and depression topped the list of problems that teens saw among their peers. Though the pressures may be different now, the feeling of stress, anxiety and loneliness while coping with them are the same. Young people are as concerned as the adults who care for them about their social, emotional health.
What is not often reported about either survey are the positives. According to the Harris Poll, “resilient teens reported higher levels of confidence solving their own mental health struggles, as well as helping others with theirs; they also felt more equipped to tap into support networks than their non-resilient counterparts.” Years of research on the development of persistence, grit, resilience has confirmed that resilience is built through adversity and positive confidence and competence developed through tough times. So, as worrisome as the impacts of the COVID-19 disaster are, it’s important to balance that worry with what family and community responses can mean to revealing resilience among young people. As adults, we have some well developed coping skills that help us persist in the face of adversity, but young people are just in the process of learning their coping skills.
One action that adults can take to reveal resilience among the young people is to balance negative perceptions with a positive vision for young people. When it comes to resilience, accentuating the positive isn’t a cliché. Instead of focusing on risks and harm for young people, focus should be on how to develop strong and healthy social and emotional skills. According to the FrameWorks Institute, which has received the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, when adults characterize young people as “vulnerable we reinforce people’s thinking that adolescents need to be shielded from the world and from themselves.” Insulating young people from risk in an effort to protect them prevents them from learning the skills and mental toughness that are the bedrock of resilience. The first step towards building resilience is to watch the adults in their surroundings modeling resilient characteristics that are obvious in their words and deeds.
The second part of this three-part series will focus on mentoring young people towards revealing resilience. Carry on!