Resilience accounts of adolescents exposed to the dual risks of pollution and township life

Abstract

As part of the larger study of the Resilient Youth in Stressed Environments (RYSE) study (ethics clearance, UP17/05/01) my study aims to make a limited contribution to RYSE by describing some adolescent accounts of resilience in a highly industrialized, resource-poor community in the South African context. This is in line with the RYSE aim of better understanding the protective factors that support the adaptation and thriving of young people exposed to multiple risks in stressed environments. My study was qualitative and I used a phenomenological design, within the framework of Social Ecological Resilience Theory. I purposively selected a small group of six participants from eMbalenhle, with the assistance of the community advisory panel (CAP). Using photo elicitation methods, the participants presented their view of resilience by describing how each photograph supported “being OK when times are hard”. In this way they provided insight into the resources, both personal and socio-ecological, that they believed were resilience-enabling. After applying thematic analysis to both the photographs and the transcripts of the session, three themes emerged; viz. ‘Resilience is: managing situations positively’, ‘Resilience is: being future focused’ and ‘Resilience is: constructive meaning making’. Whilst these three themes appear to indicate that personal resources were central to the adolescent views of resilience, there was underlying support of socio-ecological resources in all cases. The message for educational psychologists wishing to support positive adaptation of adolescents in stressed environments, therefore, is that it is important to recognize the co-contribution of socio-ecological and personal resources to adolescent resilience.