Developing a Culturally Informed Resilience Screen for Youths in Residential Programs

Resilience is a process that involves positive adaptation to trauma through protective factors. How resilience differs based on race and ethnicity is less known for youths in residential treatment programs. This study collected views from culturally diverse youths in a residential program on ways they have overcome adversity. The findings were used to develop a culturally informed screen of activities related to resilience for youths in residential programs. This study included 32 youths ages 12–18 residing in a residential program; 66% were male, 34.5% White, 25% African American, 21.9% Latinx, 15.6% more than one race, and 3.1% American Indian. Youths completed resilience measures and participated in focus groups that were conducted according to race and ethnicity. Youths answered two questions: (1) What has helped you overcome some of the difficult challenges you have faced in life? (2) When you think about hard times that you have gone through, what family and community traditions have helped you? Racial and ethnic similarities and differences in the themes and activities are reported. Preliminary scale design of the resilience screen is also included. Convergence of the findings with the existing literature on youth resilience, limitations, and future directions are discussed. The study has implications for further development of a culturally informed measure of resilience for youths.