Examining Resiliency in Adolescent Refugees Through the Tree of Life Activity

Abstract

Grounded in both resiliency science and positive youth development, the research team set out to understand the strengths and resources of adolescent refugees living in northeast Texas. In coordination with a local refugee services agency, members of the research team conducted the Tree of Life activity with 16 participants ranging in age from 13 to 20 years. Identifying 16 codes in the qualitative analyses of participants' drawings, they organized these codes into 3 themes: self-efficacy, values, and relationships. The authors recommend the use of Tree of Life and other creative arts activities to Journal of Youth Development | http://jyd.pitt.edu/ | Vol. 14 Issue 2 DOI 10. 5195/jyd.2019.692 Examining Resiliency Through Tree of Life 131 facilitate the discovery of strengths and resources in adolescent refugees, by which they may progress beyond survival of adversity to resiliency and thriving.

The Experiences and Needs of Displaced Refugee Men: A Review of the Literature

“…There appears to be some consolidation to the experiences and needs of displaced male refugees. In as much as the focus of the present review was to highlight what is known (and not known) about these men's experiences and outcomes, I also acknowledge that strength-based interventions have been utilized and assessed among other subgroups of refugees including Southeast Asian refugees (Grigg-Saito, Och, Liang, Toof, & Silka, 2008) and the resilience of international adolescents (Stark et al, 2019). Effective future interventions may do well to incorporate findings from studies of other refugee subgroups in their pursuit to improve displaced men's outcomes.…”