What makes adolescents resilient?

To support young people, it is important to understand what can predict their resilienceAccording to the American Psychological Association, resilie... More, understood as the ability to emerge strengthened from adversity. A study on adolescence conducted by the psycho-pedagogical team of the Patrizio Paoletti Foundation sheds light on the predictors of resilience, to be disseminated and strengthened for adolescents’ global healthIn the vast and multifaceted landscape of global health, the... More.

The study with adolescent students

In August 2024, the journal Ricerche di psicologia (Franco Angeli publisher) published a study on adolescence entitled “Resilience predictors in the post-pandemic era: A study on Italian adolescents”, by the authors Giulia Perasso, Grazia Serantoni, Carmela Lillo, Patrizio Paoletti, Alessandro Maculan, Francesca Vianello, and Tania Di Giuseppe.

The investigation involved a sample of 1,266 Italian adolescent students, with an average age between 14 and 15 years. Participants completed a battery of tests administered online, one year after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. The tests included measures of resilience, ad hoc items on meditationThere are many ways to define meditation, but perhaps the si... More frequency, self-compassion, copingCoping is the ability to face and manage stress, challenges,... More, and self-efficacyWhen facing the daily challenges we must confront, sometimes... More in managing positive and negative emotions.

What are the predictors of resilience?

From the results of a linear regression model, the predictors of resilience in adolescents in the post-pandemic period were found to be:

• frequency of meditation, which can support stressFrom a clinical point of view, stress is a physiological and... More management, emotional regulation, and coping
• self-efficacy in emotion regulation, which can allow them not to be overwhelmed by negative emotions and to maximize positive ones
• self-compassion, which can predispose them to greater acceptance of themselves and their mistakes, through three main components: self-kindness, mindfulness, and low over-identification
• future perspective, which can encourage them to look to the future in a positive way
• problem-oriented coping, which can provide them with a greater ability to face difficulties and emerge strengthened.

The results of this study on adolescence highlight the importance of cultivating these psychosocial variables linked to adolescents’ resilience, raising awareness among psychologists, teachers, educators, and institutions toward the promotion of neuro-psycho-pedagogical interventions designed to be integrated into school and educational programs.

The article can be consulted here: Perasso, G., Serantoni, G., Lillo, C., Paoletti, P., Maculan, A., Vianello, F., & Di Giuseppe, T. (2024). Resilience predictors in the post-pandemic era: A study on Italian adolescents. Ricerche Di Psicologia – Open Access, (4). https://doi.org/10.3280/rip2023oa18275 – https://journals.francoangeli.it/index.php/ripoa/article/view/18275