A number of societal risks pose serious challenges to families' well-being, many of which cut across divisions of class and race. These challenges include: changes in the labor market and economy; the increasing participation of mothers in the labor force; the changing nature of family structure and the composition of households; and the increase in the number of immigrant families. Key institutions in the lives of families, including places of employment and schools, can play a significant role in fostering families' capacity to adapt to the potential challenges they face. Resilience Across Contexts: Family, Work, Culture, and Community presents papers--written by leading scholars in varied disciplines including economics, developmental and educational psychology, education, and sociology--discussing factors that influence resilience development. The authors' research focuses on emerging issues that have significant implications for policy and practice in such areas as employment and new technologies; maternal employment and family development; family structure and family life; immigration, migration, acculturation, and education of children and youth; and social and human services delivery. The book's overall goal is to take stock of what is known from research and practice on some of the challenges facing children and families for policy development and improvement of practices.

"Across diverse disciplines, the term resilience is appearing more and more often. However, while each discipline has developed theory and models to explain the resilience of the systems they study (e.g., a natural environment, a community post-disaster, the human mind, a computer network, or the economy), there is a lack of over-arching theory that describes: 1) whether the principles that underpin the resilience of one system are similar or different from the principles that govern resilience of other systems; 2) whether the resilience of one system affects the resilience of other co-occurring systems; and 3) whether a better understanding of resilience can inform the design of interventions, programs and policies that address "wicked" problems that are too complex to solve by changing one system at a time? In other words (and as only one example among many) are there similarities between how a person builds and sustains psychological resilience and how a forest, community or the business where he or she works remains successful and sustainable during periods of extreme adversity? Does psychological resilience in a human being influence the resilience of the forests (through a change in attitude towards conservation), community (through a healthy tolerance for differences) and businesses (by helping a workforce perform better) with which a person interacts? And finally, does this understanding of resilience help build better social and physical ecologies that support individual mental health, a sustainable environment and a successful economy at the same time?"--

Mental health specialists and researchers contend that the development of resilience in youth is facilitated at several levels. Relational, cultural, individual, and governmental factors all have a strong influence over the mental well being of young people. Resilience in Action looks at youth interventions with a view to fostering resilience in those living in adverse situations and conditions. In order to provide a practical approach to the issue, the essays in this volume explore the components of successful interventions, encouraging the transmission of effective practices from one community to another across borders. It is organized into four sections, each dealing with a different aspect of work with at-risk youth. The first section focuses on individual health and the ways in which intervention and therapy strengthen personal resources. The second section explores the dynamics of interventions in relation to specific contexts and localized relationships, emphasizing holistic approaches to youth work. A review of the cultural relevance of resilience follows in section three, and the fourth considers ways of increasing the accessibility to resources that encourage healthy development. Featuring contributors from a variety of academic and cultural backgrounds, Resilience in Action offers diverse answers to many of the persistent questions mental health professionals ask regarding how to enhance resilience.

"To study resilience one should adopt a fundamental humility about oneself and one′s culture and society and simultaneously a respect for the human strength of others. The chapters in this book take these three cautions seriously, and offer a convincing demonstration that resilience is indeed a many-splendored thing." --James Garbarino, Cornell University The Handbook For Working With Children and Youth: Pathways To Resilience Across Cultures and Contexts examines lives lived well despite adversity. Calling upon some of the most progressive thinkers in the field, it presents a groundbreaking collection of original writing on the theories, methods of study, and interventions that promote resilience. Unlike other works that have left largely unquestioned their own culture-bound interpretations of the ways children and youth survive and thrive, this volume explores the multiple paths children follow to health and well-being in diverse national and international settings. It demonstrates the connection between social and political health resources and addresses the more immediate concerns of how those who care for children create the physical, emotional, and spiritual environments in which resilience is nurtured. Key Features Cross-cultural. Illustrates the rich variety of culturally embedded pathways by which children navigate toward health and well-being Multidisciplinary. Draws upon international experts utilizing both quantitative and qualitative studies from psychology, social work, psychiatry, nursing, education, criminology, child and youth care, community health, and family therapy Comprehensive. Provides broad developmental perspectives on resilience, from theory and research methods to interventions with individuals, families, and communities Connects theory to practice. Clarifies the construct of resilience from the viewpoint of resilience researchers and practitioners in health-related disciplines from different methodological paradigms within the social sciences and human services Academics, graduate students, and professionals studying or working in human service fields such as human development and family studies, education, social work, child and youth care work, developmental psychology/applied developmental science, child psychiatry, nursing, and family therapy will benefit from this Handbook. In essence, anyone who works with youth or is interested in the developmental issues related to children and youth in clinical, residential, or community settings will find Ungar’s Handbook to be of great value.

Until researchers and theorists account for the complex relationship between resilience and culture, explanations of why some individuals prevail in the face of adversity will remain incomplete. This edited volume addresses this crucial issue by bringing together emerging discussions of the ways in which culture shapes resilience, the theory that informs these various studies, and important considerations for researchers as they continue to investigate resilience. Using research from majority and minority world contexts, ‘Youth Resilience and Culture: Commonalities and Complexities’ highlights that non-stereotypical, critical appreciation of the cultural systems in which youth are embedded, and/or affiliate with, is pivotal to understanding why particular resilience processes matter for particular youth in a particular life-world at a particular point in time. In doing so, this book sensitizes readers to the importance of accounting for the influence of cultural contexts on resilience processes, and to the danger of conceptualising and/or operationalising resilience, culture, and their interplay, simplistically or idealistically. In short, the progressive contents of ‘Youth Resilience and Culture: Commonalities and Complexities’ make it an essential read for resilience-focused scholars, students, academics, and researchers, as well as policy makers, practitioners, and humanitarian workers engaged with high-risk populations.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of resilience across immigrant and refugee populations. It examines immigrant and refugee strengths and challenges and explores what these experiences can impart about the psychology of human resilience. Chapters review culture functions and how they can be used as a resource to promote resilience. In addition, chapters provide evidence-based approaches to foster and build resilience. Finally, the book provides policy recommendations on how to promote the well-being of immigrant and refugee families. Topics featured in this book include: Methods of cultural adaptation and acculturation by immigrant youth. Educational outcomes of immigrant youth in a European context. Positive adjustment among internal migrants. Experiences of Syrian and Iraqian asylum seekers. Preventive interventions for immigrant youth. Fostering cross-cultural friendships with the ViSC Anti-Bullying Program. Contextualizing Immigrant and Refugee Resilience is a must-have resource for researchers, professors, graduate students as well as clinicians, professionals, and policymakers in the fields of developmental, social, and cross-cultural psychology, parenting and family studies, social work, and all interrelated disciplines.

Table of contents

Urban Resilience is seen by many as a tool to mitigate harm in times of extreme social, political, financial, and environmental stress. Despite its widespread usage, however, resilience is used in different ways by policy makers, activists, academics, and practitioners. Some see it as a key to unlocking a more stable and secure urban future in times of extreme global insecurity; for others, it is a neoliberal technology that marginalizes the voices of already marginal peoples. This volume moves beyond praise and critique by focusing on the actors, narratives and temporalities that define urban resilience in a global context. By exploring the past, present, and future of urban resilience, this volume unlocks the potential of this concept to build more sustainable, inclusive, and secure cities in the 21st century.

Humans are remarkably resilient in the face of crises, traumas, disabilities, attachment losses and ongoing adversities. To date, most research in the field of traumatic stress has focused on neurobiological, psychological and social factors associated with trauma-related psychopathology and deficits in psychosocial functioning. Far less is known about resilience to stress and healthy adaptation to stress and trauma. This book brings together experts from a broad array of scientific fields whose research has focused on adaptive responses to stress. Each of the five sections in the book examines the relevant concepts, spanning from factors that contribute to and promote resilience, to populations and societal systems in which resilience is employed, to specific applications and contexts of resilience and interventions designed to better enhance resilience. This will be suitable for clinicians and researchers who are interested in resilience across the lifespan and in response to a wide variety of stressors.