Fostering Psychosocial Skills: School-Based Promotion of Resiliency in Children and Adolescents

• In Event: Psychosocial Skills in the 21st Century: Theory, Research, and Applications

Abstract

Resilience and resiliency are the internal and external mechanisms that allow an individual to recover from/overcome adversities. Current views of resilience/resiliency suggest that these constructs are developmental and normative and may be applied universally to guide educational practice. The recognition that all youth, regardless of their current circumstances, can benefit from developing greater resiliency and capacity to adapt to their world, gives schools an opportunity to engage in preventative action long before risks accumulate or problems develop. This paper discusses the non-stigmatizing assessment and application of resiliency in school environments using the framework of the three-factor model of personal resiliency (Prince-Embury, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2014). This model organizes the construct into three underlying developmental systems representing personal resources (Sense of Mastery and Sense of Relatedness) and vulnerabilities (Emotional Reactivity). The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents (RSCA) and the upward extension, the Resiliency Scale for Young Adults (RSYA), are then presented as useful clinical and research measures for implementing and evaluating preventive screening in schools. A multi-tiered screening strategy will be presented using the RSCA/RSYA Index scores of Vulnerability and Resource to identify students who are most at risk, and drilling down to identify specific areas of relative strength and vulnerability both for individual students and at the group (classroom or school) level.

The paper will conclude with specific examples of how the three-factor resiliency model may be applied to guide new and existing strength-based interventions in school settings. This work contributes to the important process of integrating the science of resilience and strength building into a pre-existing infrastructure for the education and development of children and youth.

Authors

• Donald Saklofske, University of Calgary

• Sandra Prince-Embury, The Resiliency Institute of Allenhurst, LLC

• Katia Keefer, Queen's University - Kingston