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“It Really Takes a Village”: A Socio-Ecological Model of Resilience for Prevention Among Economically Disadvantaged Ethnic Minority Youth

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Abstract

Promoting resilience prevents maladaptation among economically disadvantaged ethnic minority (EDEM) youth. EDEM youth need access to a variety of assets and promotive factors (i.e., resources) in the family, school, and community system to counter risks and promote positive adaptation. However, the field lacks a socio-ecological model of resilience for prevention targeted towards EDEM youth. We aim to review assets and promotive factors in the family, school, and community systems to present a socio-ecological model of resilience for the prevention of negative educational and health outcomes among EDEM youth. We reorient the social ecologies of EDEM youth from “at risk” to “at promise” focusing on family and community-centered prevention models. We discuss implications for the design of prevention strategies as well as their implementation and methodological challenges.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, North Carolina A&T State University, New Science Building, Greensboro, NC, 27401, USA

    Dawn X. Henderson

  2. Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Counselor Education, North Carolina State University, P.O. Box 7801, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Jessica DeCuir-Gunby & Vandna Gill

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  1. Dawn X. Henderson
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  2. Jessica DeCuir-Gunby
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Correspondence to Dawn X. Henderson.

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Henderson, D.X., DeCuir-Gunby, J. & Gill, V. “It Really Takes a Village”: A Socio-Ecological Model of Resilience for Prevention Among Economically Disadvantaged Ethnic Minority Youth. J Primary Prevent 37, 469–485 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-016-0446-3

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