Intersections of Resilience and Vulnerability: A Study of over 1000 Youth in Military Families*
Transition
and change are hallmarks of life in military families, and youth and their
families continually navigate and negotiate the demands related to military
service. In the face of challenges, military families demonstrate remarkable
coping and resilience. Family science researchers at The University of Georgia
have conducted two recent studies of military families, one an examination of
over 1000 adolescents ages 11-18, and the other of 273 families (parents and a total of 389 adolescents 11-18 years old).
Not only do these data speak to the well-being of youth but also to family
contexts in which youth develop. Moreover, the role that youth development
programs have in the lives of youth are examined. The core research questions
are: What vulnerabilities do youth and their families experience? Do youth
development programs make a difference in positive ways? Which dimensions of
family life are significant for youth well-being? What everyday life elements
serve as protective factors in youths’ lives? These research findings are then
pivoted toward implications for development of prevention and intervention
programs for youth and for their families.
Jay A.
Mancini and Catherine W. O’Neal**, Family and Community Resilience Laboratory,
Department of Human Development and Family Science, The University of Georgia
*This
research is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute
of Food and Agriculture through the University of Georgia under special project
number 2009-48680-06069.
**Jay A.
Mancini is Haltiwanger Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Family
Science, and Catherine W. O’Neal is Post-Doctoral Research Fellow.
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