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#BeeWell findings have been reflected on within a new research paper published by the University of Manchester.
The paper, ‘Protective factors for resilience in adolescence: analysis of a longitudinal dataset using the residuals approach’, by lead author Dr. Jose Marquez, University of Manchester, looked at adversities for children and young people, alongside the effects of various factors of resilience.
The research noted that multiple adversity factors faced in adolescence such as socio-economic disadvantage, sexual discrimination and bullying all impacted future wellbeing, with girls and white adolescents presenting lower wellbeing resilience than their peers.
Self-esteem and optimism were highlighted as important internal factors contributing to resilience. Friendships and peer support were noted as external factors in building resilience. Health behaviours such as physical activity and sleep were identified as key behavioural factors.
Importantly, the paper concludes that the effect of these protective factors is weaker among those facing high levels of adversity, suggesting prevention and intervention efforts should prioritise reducing adversity exposure in the first place. For example, self-esteem, peer support, physical activity etc. were less beneficial for wellbeing when adolescents face a lot of adversity. So, whilst interventions to improve self-esteem are important, they will only be effective if efforts are made to reduce underlying adversity.
To read the full paper click here.
