Understanding the Findings of Resilience-Related Research for Fostering the Development of African American Adolescents

African American youth face a number of challenges to prosocial development that the majority of American youth never encounter. Despite this, the research clearly documents that African American youth often are resilient in the face of these challenges. This article explores various factors associated with resilience in African American children and their implications for practitioners. An ecologic framework described by Bronfenbrenner is used as an organizing framework for understanding interventions at the micro-, mezzo-, and exo-system levels. In this article, the importance of identity formation, maintenance of social networks, and exposure to safe and supportive environments is expressed in conjunction with recommendations for practitioners. Practitioners are encouraged to stress the promotion of ethnic and racial identity and self-efficacy with the youth and their family and the involvement of the youth and family in meaningful activities through local community centers, schools, churches, and other organizations serving youth. A case study of an African American girl, from age 16 into adulthood and motherhood, is presented to illustrate the interplay between protective and risk factors.