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The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents: Constructs, Research and Clinical Application

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Handbook of Resilience in Children

Abstract

What qualities buffer youth who are faced with more than the average burden of hardship? Do these qualities strengthen children generally in times of greater uncertainty and exposure? Are they the same qualities that characterize children and adolescents who can weather the transitions and upheavals that frequently accompany normal development? Accumulating research and theory suggest that it is possible to objectively measure qualities of resiliency although many forces may shape them. The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents™ (Prince-Embury, 2007) is based on the findings of previous research of personal resiliency in children and adolescents and are grounded in developmental theory. The Resiliency Scales were designed to systematically identify and quantify core personal qualities of resiliency in youth, as expressed in their own words about their own experience. The function of the scales is to theoretically and empirically provide sound assessment of core characteristics underlying personal resiliency in children and adolescents (ages 9–18). The purpose of the scales is to allow for easy communication of this information to youth and their caregivers for the purpose of education, screening, prevention, and counseling. The scales are based on the assumption that personal resiliency reflects adequate personal resources that match or exceed emotional reactivity to internal or external stress. It is also assumed that this relationship may be expressed as a Personal Resiliency Profile unique to each child or adolescent.

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  1. The Resiliency Institute of Allenhurst, LLC, West Allenhurst, NJ, USA

    Sandra Prince-Embury

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  1. Sandra Prince-Embury
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  1. Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

    Sam Goldstein

  2. McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA

    Robert B. Brooks

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Prince-Embury, S. (2013). The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents: Constructs, Research and Clinical Application. In: Goldstein, S., Brooks, R. (eds) Handbook of Resilience in Children. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3661-4_16

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