By Dodi Haug, NE Prevention Resource Center in Watertown.
As adults, we hope the youth in our lives will never have to experience a mental health or substance use crisis. There are ways to help so our youth may not have to ever experience such crisis. This is called resilience. Resilience is a person’s ability to “bounce back” from difficult experiences. There are supportive people and community resources that can help children and youth develop resilience and they are known as protective factors. These protective factors can have an influence on how well a person can adapt during and after adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress.
According to the Youth Mental Health First Aid manual, some protective factors are (O’Connell et al., 2009):
- Parental and/or caregiver and other familial support (this means that any family member or caregiver can have a huge impact – not only parents)
- Feeling close to at least one adult. This person is someone who is going to love the youth ridiculously and be there to support the youth through all of life’s challenges. This has been proven to be one of the most influential protective factors among youth (Center on the Developing Child, 2015).
- Healthy self-care practices, including hygiene, physical activity, and getting enough sleep to feel rested.
- Positive self-esteem.
- Problem-solving skills.
- Feeling of control in their own life.
- Spirituality.
- Avoiding negative coping strategies such as using alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs.
- Consistent home/family routine.
- High monitoring of the child or youth’s activities by a parent or caregiver (for example, keeping track of where the child or youth is and who they are with).
- Regular school attendance and academic performance.
- Having a strong social support system.
- Economic security.
- Availability of constructive recreation in the community.
- Feeling a sense of belonging in the school or community.
As adults in the lives of youth, we can help them develop healthy coping skills through supportive relationships, skill building and positive experiences. Here are some ways that adults can help:
- Identify and build strengths in the youth. This could sound something like this, “I noticed that you took the time to calm down before responding to your friend who made you angry. That is a good thing to do so you don’t say or do something that you will regret.”
- Reduce their exposure to risks. Monitor them and know where they are going. Know that it’s OK to say no if they are asking to go to a potentially risky environment.
- Connect youth with help and supports that may be needed. This could be local clubs or organizations to get them involved in things they are interested in; or it could be connecting them to professional resources to help with things like stress management, decision making, coping skills, etc.
There are many resources on raising resilient youth. Go online, check them out, and find out how you can work to build resilience in youth. It will be well worth your time.
For more information, contact the NE Prevention Resource Center at 605-884-3516 or visit
www.humanserviceagency.org. Like us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/NEPRC.HSA to stay informed.