Theron, Linda C.2020-11-052020-11-052023-12Theron, L. Resilience of sub-Saharan children and adolescents: A scoping review. Transcultural Psychiatry. 2023; 60(6): 1017-1039. doi:10.1177/1363461520938916.1363-4615 (print)1461-7471 (online)10.1177/136346152093891http://hdl.handle.net/2263/76908The population of sub-Saharan children and adolescents is substantial and growing. Even though most of this population is vulnerable, there is no comprehensive understanding of the social-ecological factors that could be leveraged by mental health practitioners to support their resilience. The present study undertakes a narrative scoping review of empirical research (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed) on the resilience of children and adolescents living in sub-Saharan Africa to determine what enables their resilience and what may be distinctive about African pathways of child and adolescent resilience. Online databases were used to identify full-text, peer-reviewed papers published 2000–2018, from which we selected 59 publications detailing the resilience of children and/or adolescents living in 18 sub-Saharan countries. Studies show that the resilience of sub-Saharan children and adolescents is a complex, social-ecological process supported by relational, personal, structural, cultural, and/or spiritual resilience-enablers, as well as disregard for values or practices that could constrain resilience. The results support two insights that have implications for how mental health practitioners facilitate the resilience of sub-Saharan children and adolescents: (i) relational and personal supports matter more-or-less equally; and (ii) the capacity for positive adjustment is complexly interwoven with African ways-of-being and -doing.en© The Author(s) 2020African cultural valuesAfrican cultural practicesChild resilienceAdolescent resilienceSub-Saharan Africa (SSA)Physical ecologySocial ecologyNarrative scoping reviewSense of communityPostprint Article