Personal resources that support adolescent resilience over time

Abstract

My study forms part of the Resilient Youth in Stressed Environments (RYSE) study. The RYSE study aims to understand the resilience of adolescents living in a township stressed by petrochemical pollution and associated risks. The purpose of my study was to explore the personal resources that a group of adolescents (15-24 years old) living in the township of eMbalenhle consider to be resilience-enabling over time. In other words, how consistent were the personal resilience-enabling resources reported by adolescents living in eMbalenhle at two points in time (2017 and 2019)? I used a qualitative approach and followed a phenomenological research design to achieve this purpose. Ten adolescents who lived in eMbalenhle participated in my study. The participants had participated in the 2017 data generation. The primary data were generated by the participants using the same arts-based methods as in 2017. The primary data were analysed using inductive thematic content analysis and the secondary (2017) data were analysed using deductive thematic content analysis. The personal resources that enabled the adolescent’s resilience over time were keeping a positive mindset, looking after their bodies, looking to the future and being social. My study highlights the social-ecological nature of resilience and contributes insights into what personal resources support adolescent resilience over time.