Original Article

Hope under the shadow of fear and uncertainty: Resilience factors among working adolescents

Abstract

Background & Aim: Working adolescents need to cope with extreme situations they face, and it is important to identify what factors influence their resilience to better support their health and well-being.  The purpose of this study was to explore resilience in working adolescents.
Methods & Materials: The directed content analysis approach based on the ecological-transactional resilience model was employed across five domains of resilience (Self, Family, Peers, School, and Community).  Semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of working adolescents were conducted. Inclusion criteria were being 12-18 years of age, Persian speaker, and direct experience of being forced to work for at least one year. Hsieh & Shannon (2005) instruction was used for data analysis.
Results: 17 participants were interviewed, 59% were male, 88% immigrants and 41% had started working by age 6. Adolescents reported experience of significant adversity. A dichotomic range of resilience-related factors was identified within five domains, embedded with distinct themes. There was evidence of self-care, patience, empathy, and emotional insight within extremely difficult life circumstances. Peers and schools were identified as supporting resilience. Very few Family or Community resilience factors were identified; instead, adolescents reported hurt, alienation, and voicelessness within the family; and fear and insecurity in the community.
Conclusion: Working adolescents in this study revealed some dichotomic strengths and vulnerabilities. Individual, peer, and school factors were more evident than family and community factors in fostering resilience among working adolescents.

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IssueVol 8 No 2 (2021): Spring QRcode
SectionOriginal Article(s)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18502/npt.v8i2.5127
Keywords
resilience; qualitative research; community; ecological-transactional model; child labour; adolescent
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Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
1.
Cheraghi MA, Khoshnavay Fomani F, Ebadi A, Gartland D, Ghaedi Y. Hope under the shadow of fear and uncertainty: Resilience factors among working adolescents. NPT. 2020;8(2):155-166.