Редакция журнала «Позитивные изменения»
Позитивные изменения. Том 4, №1 (2024). Positive changes. Volume 4, Issue 1 (2024)
Develop Positively. Introducing a New Concept for the Prevention of Childhood and Adolescent Adversity
Anna Khegay
DOI 10.55140/2782-5817-2024-4-1-74-85
Focusing on the strengths, potential, and capabilities of adolescents and youth, rather than on mitigating the consequences of challenging behavior, encapsulates the principal notion of positive youth development. The concept began to gain momentum in the world in the 1990s.
In Russia as well, there are examples of non-governmental organizations that embrace and implement the principles of this approach in practice. The specifics of this concept, and how its application aids in the prevention of child and adolescent adversity, are explained by the expert from the Victoria Charitable Children’s Fund.[87]
Anna Khegay
Employee, Department of Psychology, instructor, postgraduate student, National Research University – Higher School of Economics, chief psychologist, and methodologist, Victoria Charitable Children’s Fund
RELEVANCE
Since the 2010s, more attention has been given in the Russian Federation to the importance of nurturing the potential of adolescents and young adults. The Youth Development Strategy until 2030 encompasses all Russian citizens aged 14 to 35 inclusive. One aim of the strategy is to assist young individuals in their quest for self-improvement, the betterment of the country, and the shaping of the future.
Around the globe, policy designers face the objective of actively engaging youth in civic existence, professional growth, and self-evolution. For instance, the European Youth Policy until 2027 includes ambitions such as equality for all young persons, inclusivity, constructive discourse, mental well-being, expansion of prospects for youth in rural zones and smaller cities, high-grade employment and learning opportunities for all youths, youth involvement in civil and political spheres, and the advancement of voluntary and youth groups. In this context, a particular challenge is engaging young people in active life, who are growing up in difficult life situations.
It is well-acknowledged that young adults enduring tough life conditions often navigate their adolescence and early adulthood as periods fraught with various challenges (Arnett, 2015), including entering a labor market that can be hostile towards youth (Edin & Kefalas, 2005; Furstenberg, 2010). A suite of qualitative inquiries (Hendry & Kloep, 2010; Silva, 2016; Arnett, 2015) indicates that adolescents with strenuous childhoods frequently perceive themselves as more mature earlier than their counterparts, due to the necessity of assuming substantial responsibilities prematurely.
As per Rosstat’s 2023 data, in the Russian Federation, approximately 25 % of all children and adolescents subsist below the poverty threshold, around 2 % have orphanhood experience, and nearly 7.5 % of children have restricted health abilities. Around 3.5 % of all children and adolescents have been directly impacted by military actions since 2022.[88] Consequently, a considerable portion of the Russian youth are presented with comparatively diminished initial opportunities to fulfill their potential.
In Russia, modern social work is regarded as a means for advancing an individual’s personal development and restoring their agency. Concurrently, hands-on preventive engagement with adolescents and the young in severe life predicaments often concentrates on spotting shortcomings and their amelioration, and to a lesser extent – on nurturing the robust aspects of one’s character (Zhukov, 2022).
Contemporary theorists in social work are increasingly advocating for a reassessment of the prevention approach: to move away from a deficit focus and instead to concentrate on fostering each adolescent’s and young adult’s developmental potential in difficult life situations, to perceive clients not as individuals with limitations, but as those possessing untapped cognitive, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual capacities (Amodeo & Collins, 2007). One approach to addressing issues of child and family adversity is the Concept of Positive Youth Development (PYD), which was established to integrate young individuals with challenging life experiences into societal life and to facilitate the realization of their potential (Youngblade et al., 2007; Catalano et al., 2019).
POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Positive youth development represents an ecological model of human personal advancement, which takes into account not just intrapersonal factors but also the social environment and the influential role of interpersonal relationships in sculpting one’s success. The architect of this model, Urie Bronfenbrenner (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2007), underscores that development is not solely an inward process, but rather the outcome of reciprocal interactions between individuals and their evolving surroundings. Scholars, pedagogues, and psychologists working on the positive youth development model build upon the intricate and non-linear nature of human growth during adolescence and maturing adulthood, taking into account the integral bond between young individuals and the contexts and communities within which they mature.
When employing the PYD approach, specialists prioritize what already exists, focusing on each young person’s accessible social and psychological resources rather than their shortcomings, and engage in long-term development and planning rather than merely resolving the youth’s immediate issues (Amodeo & Collins, 2007).
The focus for professionals lies on the adult life skills that young individuals need to master and the characteristics the surrounding environment must embody to promote the flourishing of youth.
The positive youth development model comprises five types of skills (Bowers et al., 2010):
• Competence encompasses social, cognitive, academic, and vocational competencies;
• Confidence reflects the level of self-respect and perceived self-efficacy regarding oneself as a person, rather than based on specific traits;
• Connection can be described as the presence of positive relationships with individuals and societal institutions;
• Character means respect for societal and cultural standards and norms, adherence to behavioral norms, a sense of morality, and integrity;
• Caring represents the capacity for empathy and compassion towards others.
Additionally, the positive youth development model entails the establishment of a nurturing and protective environment for adolescents and youth navigating through challenging circumstances.
The components of such an environment, termed protective factors, are (Youngblade et al., 2007):
• Family support: positive youth development initiatives ought to involve and bolster the family, as it is an essential element for the protection and guidance of the young;
• Caring adults: The presence of supportive and compassionate adults in the lives of the youth is crucial for their affirmative development;
• Positive peer groups: programs should strive to immerse youth in constructive interactions with their peers and cultivate sustaining peer relationships;
• Supporting self-esteem and dignity: programs must assist youth in cultivating a robust sense of self-worth and elevated self-esteem, essential elements for their welfare and success;
• Engagement in educational and community endeavors: motivating young individuals to actively participate in school and community activities fosters their positive development;
• Opportunities for leadership and skill-building: PYD initiatives need to provide the young with opportunities to develop leadership abilities under the tutelage of caring adults;
• Physical and psychological safety and protection: establishing a tranquil and secure environment for the youth is a foundational aspect of their positive development;
• Emotional and moral backing: Programs are expected to provide emotional and moral support to the young, aiding them in confronting the challenges they encounter;
• Opportunities for decision-making and governance: granting young people the chance to make decisions, engage in leadership roles, and participate in governance as they mature.
Integrated PYD programs typically merge educational, voluntary, artistic, athletic, and various other activities to maximize the potential of youth (Taylor et al., 2017; Ciocanel et al., 2017). Positive youth development schemes center on accentuating the young’s strengths, talents, and interests, rather than on rectifying their deficiencies (Karakulak & Cüre-Acer, 2021; Lerner et al., 2005).
Figure 1. Overview of Case Work Methodology
Source: Borzov, 2020
Elements of the positive youth development concept can be infused into any program; there is no sole and definitive method for executing the PYD strategy (Waid & Uhrich, 2020).
Marian Amodeo and Mary Elizabeth Collins define the core qualities of programs based on the positive youth development concept in the following manner (Amodeo & Collins, 2007):
• Emphasis on strengths. The focus is on leveraging the resources of youth, rather than on addressing their issues;
• Collaboration. Youth are viewed as partners in the planning of their future;
• Community. Significant emphasis is placed on youth activism within the community and on their active participation in community-based institutions;
• Competency development. The goal is to acquire a broad spectrum of skills;
• Connectedness. Emphasis on personal and social connections, as well as establishing ties to community members;
• Identity. Understanding their identity and fostering a sense of belonging to their chosen groups is considered a pivotal part of young people’s development;
• Integrity. Holistic attention is given to every facet of wholesome personal growth, including physical, social, moral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions;
• Durability and a long-term perspective. The approach is centered on strategic long-term planning over temporary fixes;
• Normalization. Young individuals are encouraged to perceive themselves as resembling their peers in both behavior and development;
• Prosocial behavior and proactive attitudes. The nurturing of healthy prosocial behaviors is encouraged;
• Accessibility. Activities are designed to be inclusive for all, not just targeting youth with challenges.
A CASE STUDY OF THE PYD CONCEPT APPLIED AT THE VICTORIA CHARITABLE CHILDREN’S FUND
The Victoria Charitable Children’s Fund, with its mission to protect, restore, and establish support structures for children facing life challenges, bases its work on the “Positive Youth Development“ concept. Specific components of this approach have been implemented by the organization since 2017 and fully integrated since 2020.
One of the foundation’s significant projects is the “Graduate’s Home,“ within which graduates from foster families and boarding institutions in the Krasnodar Territory receive social, psychological, legal, and other forms of assistance, as well as the opportunity for temporary residence in a social hotel.
Social workers, psychologists, and coordinators at the Victoria Charitable Children’s Fund integrate the PYD concept with the “Case Work“ methodology (Borzov, 2020). The fundamental steps of this method are outlined in Figure 1.
This integration allows for the simultaneous management of three types of processes.
THE FIRST TYPE OF PROCESSES. PROBLEM-SOLVING
Case managers primarily focus on resolving the issues faced by young individuals with orphanhood experience. Together with the client, specialists translate issues into tasks or a series of tasks, establishing a collaborative work process. This may involve actions such as reinstating education, securing employment, resolving housing matters, or retrieving lost documents.
The supporting professional and the client jointly draft an action plan, detailing respective responsibilities and specific actions to be undertaken by both parties, the professional and the client.
THE SECOND TYPE OF PROCESSES. DEVELOPMENT OF THE CLIENT’S COMPETENCIES
The case supervisor considers the problem-solving process as a psycho-educational opportunity to develop the client’s skills: competency, confidence, the ability to forge connections, rely on one’s values, and care for others. In planning the implementation of the action plan, the supporting professional and the client strive to maximize the use of strengths for these tasks, as well as to set tasks within the zone of proximal development for each skill (Obukhova, 2010).
THE THIRD TYPE OF PROCESSES. DEVELOPMENT OF A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT
The Victoria Charitable Children’s Fund makes special efforts to create a supportive environment throughout the city of Armavir, where the “Graduate’s Home“ project is implemented. The fund develops programs to support foster parents (factor of caring adults), supports teen and youth projects aimed at developing youth participation (factors of opportunity to participate in decisions and management, leadership), as well as teen and youth volunteer and sports projects (factors of leadership, positive peer groups, involvement in community activities). A large number of recreational and supportive activities are organized for different age groups (factors of positive peer groups, emotional support), provides safe housing (factor of physical and psychological protection).
In the course of living in the social hotel at the center “Graduate’s Home,“ the children form and strengthen not only basic skills of housekeeping and personal budgeting, but also a careful attitude to each other, respect, cohesiveness, understanding of “brotherly support,“ and the ability to find a constructive way out of conflict situations.
Specialists working in the project play an important role in assisting graduates to resolve social, psychological, and legal issues. Having necessary professional support and backing contributes to strengthening an individual’s network of social contacts and enhances confidence in the future.
ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROGRAMS AND TRAININGS THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL METHODS
One of the tasks of the “Graduate’s Home“ project is to provide psychological assistance to graduates for working through past traumatic experiences, enhancing self-esteem and readiness for independent life, and emotional and personal development. Special emphasis is placed on resilience training (Ordina, 2023). The following methods were used to measure the effectiveness of the work in providing psychological assistance to young people with orphanhood experience:
1. The resilience test (S. Muddi) adapted by D. A. Leontiev and E. I. Rasskazov.
2. The Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), developed by R. Lazarus and S. Folkman in 1984, adapted by L. I. Wasserman.
3. Express diagnostics of the level of self-esteem, developed by N. P. Fetiskin and V. V. Kozlov.
4. The questionnaire “Study of volitional self-regulation“ developed by A. V. Zverikov and E. V. Eidman.
SAMPLING
The research was conducted during the 2021–2022 academic year. In the resilience trainings within the “Graduate’s Home“ project, 27 adolescents (pregraduates and graduates), including 11 females (41 %) and 16 males (59 %), aged 14 to 20 years (M = 16.3), participated. All of them took part in three-month resilience development programs. All the 27 individuals represent 100 % of the age group targeted by the project.
DATA ANALYSIS METHODS
Descriptive statistics and variance analysis using Student’s t-test for dependent samples were performed in the Jamovi 2.4.11 program.
RESULTS OF THE STUDY
Changes in Resilience Indicators Based on Psychological Assistance Provided in the “Graduate’s Home“ Project (2021–2022)
The key indicators of the resilience test are:
1. Commitment: an individual’s belief that being involved in ongoing activities provides the best chance to find something worthwhile and engaging.
2. Control: an individual’s belief that struggle can influence outcomes, even if the influence is not absolute and success is not guaranteed.
3. Challenge: a person’s conviction that everything that occurs aids their development through the knowledge extracted from experiences, regardless of whether they are positive or negative.
4. The overall resilience score is the cumulative sum of the scores on the three scales.
Descriptive statistics of the resilience indicators are provided in Table 1. The data are distributed normally, which permits the utilization of the variance analysis procedure to assess the training’s efficacy. Given that the data were gathered through paper surveys and a portion of the surveys lacked responses to all the questions, a varying number of respondents is observable in the table, ranging from 24 to 27.
Table 1. Cescriptive Statistics
RESULTS OF VARIANCE ANALYSIS EFFECTIVENESS OF RESILIENCE TRAINING
To ascertain the effectiveness of resilience training, an analysis of variance was performed using Student’s t-test for dependent samples. Pre- and post-program testing revealed significant (.03 < p <.008) enhancements in engagement, risk-taking, and overall resilience scores with a moderate effect size (Cohen’s d ranging from 0.5 to 0.6). Nonetheless, no significant improvements were noted in the control indicator, as initial control scores were already medium or high. Detailed results are provided in Table 2.
MONITORING TO ASSESS EFFECTIVENESS
To gauge the effectiveness of the “Graduate’s Home“ initiative, staff conduct regular (monthly) monitoring of the actual living standards of the graduates based on criteria such as:
1. Social status (education, employment).
2. Livelihood (scholarship, salary, savings account, social benefits).
3. Marital status (married/single, family composition, psychological atmosphere).
4. Law-abiding behavior (legal offenses, alcoholism, substance abuse, etc.).
5. Housing and living conditions (housing state, property security, utility bill payments).
6. Relations with blood relatives.
7. Additional information (psychological profile).
Table 2. Results of Variance Analysis by Student’s T-test for Dependent Samples on Resilience Indicators
Additionally, annual qualitative interviews with “Graduate’s Home“ participants are conducted to evaluate its impact. As an illustration, consider feedback by Lera, a student at Armavir State Pedagogical University:
“Upon my arrival at the Graduate’s Home, my life underwent significant changes. Before the program, my life was a palette of only gray tones. It was a repetitive cycle of partying, financial and academic debts, and apartment issues (utility bill debt). I shared my troubles with the project’s specialists, and they extended their help. Vibrant hues started to feature in my life’s tapestry. It was as if I was learning to live anew: managing finances and confronting challenges. The pain and the drabness dissolved away. Over the summer, I found a job and then got admitted to university, where I was elected to the student council. Now, I am an active participant in the life of Armavir State Pedagogical University and the ’Graduate’s Home’ project. I now have the confidence to tackle anything that comes my way.“
OTHER SOCIAL OUTCOMES
Overall, the lives of the young individuals involved in the “Graduate’s Home“ project are changing; they have become more open, discussing their challenges with boldness, inquiring, and engaging actively in making significant group decisions (such as life in the social hotel at the center “Graduate’s Home,“ rules, and interaction protocols). According to a semi-structured interview with 30 “Graduate’s Home“ participants conducted by psychologists, 85 % of participants (25 individuals) speak openly about their futures and make long-term plans, tackling educational, work, and health-related matters independently. 25 % of graduates (7 individuals) have attained secondary vocational education, with three graduating with honors. A pivotal social outcome of the project is that these young people have grown to believe in themselves and their potential. 30 % of participants (9 individuals) have resolved to pursue further education at universities within the Krasnodar region upon completing their technical or vocational training.
A milestone for 20 % of the participating graduates (6 individuals) was receiving the keys to their own apartments. The project’s legal team has been instrumental in ensuring graduates acquire housing on time, including via legal action when necessary.
Consequently, throughout the implementation of the “Graduate’s Home“ project, substantial qualitative outcomes have been realized. The youngsters, through their involvement in the project’s trainings and activities, have not only enhanced their resilience but also honed their self-reliance, responsibility, and the aptitude for seeking assistance, listening to, and understanding one another. As illustrated by the regular semistructured monitoring interviews with “Graduate’s Home“ participants and staff, there is an upsurge in proactive youth initiating projects and activities, proposing novel ideas for leisure and psychological sessions.
CONCLUSION
Fostering positive development in youth is a contemporary strategy for providing support to young individuals in challenging life situations, drawing simultaneously on intrinsic and environmental resources. Reflecting on the experience shared by the Victoria Charitable Children’s Fund, it is plausible to affirm that programs anchored in the philosophy of positive youth development can efficaciously support youngsters with orphanage backgrounds. And it is noteworthy that the effects, as demonstrated by the study, are measurable. The effectiveness of this approach is substantiated by the research outcomes – an increase in the participants’ personal resources such as resilience, a rise in their active engagement in the project, and other benefits.
Thus, positive youth development is a framework that facilitates the effective planning, implementation, and assessment of the impact of programs aimed at fostering the personal potential of young individuals in challenging life situations.
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