Adding some “Cs”: Expanding positive youth development to include disability and identity.

Abstract

Background: Although numbers of youth with disabilities (YWD) are increasing, this population continues to be poorly represented in psychological and developmental research. There is a demonstrated need to better understand identity development in YWD. Objective: The purpose of this review was to determine the applicability of a contemporary developmental model, positive youth development (PYD), for YWD. PYD describes six "Cs" that contribute to thriving in youth: competence, confidence, connection, character, caring/compassion, and contribution. We explored which "Cs" contribute to identity development in YWD, what appears to be unique, and how PYD could be adapted to better include this population. Method: Through a qualitative metasynthesis, we explored how PYD emerged across the qualitative literature from psychology and related fields for YWD. We coded 18 qualitative articles according to the original definitions of the "Cs" of PYD and tracked emerging constructs across included studies. Results: Findings reveal evidence for four out of six of the original "Cs" in YWD. Two emerging "Cs," coping and constraints, may be unique to this population. Conclusions: PYD may be applicable for YWD, but an expanded version may be more relevant to this group. The addition of newly defined "Cs" could contribute to a better understanding of positive development in YWD and other marginalized populations. Impact and ImplicationsThis study evaluates existing literature on identity in youth with disabilities in a new way by evaluating an existing framework for development in youth, positive youth development (PYD), applied to a new population. Results suggest that in order for PYD to be relevant to "all youth," adaptation is needed based on identified emerging constructs, "Coping" and "Constraints," which may be unique to youth with disabilities (YWD). Modifying PYD to be more inclusive of YWD could have wide-reaching impacts on the fields of education, healthcare, youth programming, rehabilitation psychology, and psychology as a whole. Findings point to areas for clinical intervention, including assisting YWD in developing more adaptive coping skills and strategies for self-and group-advocacy.