IDENTIFYING PATTERNS OF YOUTH RESILIENCE TO NEIGHBORHOOD DISADVANTAGE

Abstract

The present report describes the motivation for the Michigan Twin Neurogenetic Study (MTwiNS), which seeks to illuminate the underlying biological mechanisms through which familial and community factors support resilience (i.e., adaptive competence in the face of adversity) in youth exposed to neighborhood disadvantage. To accomplish these goals, we must first understand how resilience manifests in this cohort. The current study uncovers evidence of three domains of youth resilience: psychiatric health, social engagement, and scholastic success. Although all three domains were relatively stable across a one-to-two year period, some change was observed. Additionally, although resilience in one domain was quite common, resilience across all three domains was less common. Finally, we show substantial variability in resilience within and across families, with large co-twin discordances that can be leveraged in future analyses that examine promotive contexts that are environmental in origin.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the staff of the TBED-C and MTwiNS studies for their hard work. This work would not be possible without the contributions of the families who participated in TBED-C and MTwiNS. We thank them for sharing their lives with us.

Disclosure Of Potential Conflicts Of Interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health (NIMH) and the Office of the Director National Institute of Health (OD), under Award Number [UG3MH114249, R01MH081813]; as well as the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number [R01HD093334] (awarded to SAB and LWH), [R01HD066040] (awarded to SAB), and [F32HD098780] (awarded to EAS). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the National Institutes of Health. Funding was also provided by a NARSAD young Investigator Grant from the Brain and Behavior Foundation (to LWH) and by a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation (to AYV).