“Social Connectedness and Self-Esteem: Predictors of Resilience in Mental Health among Maltreated Homeless Youth” (abstract). Michelle T. Dang. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 35 (2014).
What it’s about: One hundred and fifty homeless youth ages 14 to 21 answered a series of computer-based questionnaires that gauged their health in six areas: psychological distress, family connectedness, school connectedness, relationships with prosocial peers, self-esteem, and parental and caregiver maltreatment. Author Michelle T. Dang was looking to determine whether a positive network of support and high self-worth made young people more resilient when facing the effects of trauma.
Why read it: One of the priorities of the Family & Youth Services Bureau is to deepen understanding about how protective factors promote young people's health and well-being. Rather than defining resiliency as a static personality trait, the author sees it as a "dynamic process” that rises and falls over the course of a person's life as they grow and encounter different obstacles.
Biggest takeaways for family and youth workers: Using regression analysis, the author confirmed that positive social connectedness and high self-esteem protected youth in the study against traumatic experiences. Youth with these protective factors reported "better mental health” across all participants, Dang writes.
For more about this study, go to: http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/news/2...nefit-homeless-youth
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