Relationships as a pathway of resilience over time among adolescents in a stressed environment

Abstract

My study is a sub-study of the Resilient Youth in Stressed Environments (RYSE) Project. RYSE aims to better understand the resilience of youth who live in environments that are stressed by the petrochemical industry and associated risks. In particular, the purpose of my study of limited scope was to describe the relational resources that enable the resilience of a group of adolescents (15-24 years old) living in the petrochemical-affected community of eMbalenhle, a township in Mpumalanga, and to describe how these relational resilience enablers compare with their 2017 explanations about relationships and resilience. I used a qualitative approach and followed a phenomenological research design to achieve this purpose. The participants included 10 adolescents who lived in eMbalenhle, were comfortable speaking English, and had participated in the 2017 data generation. The primary data were generated by the participants using the same arts-based activities 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 main relationships which enabled the resilience of these adolescents were family, others, and trustworthy friends. These relationships enabled the resilience of the adolescents over time by extending emotional comfort and affective caring, broadening perspectives and inspiring solutions, encouraging grit and perseverance, and promoting physical health or fulfilling basic needs. My study highlights the social-ecological nature of resilience and contributes insights into how relationships support adolescent resilience over time.