Adolescents’ resilience
Adolescents’ resilience
Tracy Evans-Whipp, Constantine Gasser

Summary
All teens experience difficult circumstances and stressful life events. The ability to bounce back from them, and to learn and grow from them, is called resilience. Resilience is a vital skill for navigating life’s ups and downs.
This report looks at some of the factors that can help or hinder adolescents’ resilience. Its findings are intended to help people caring for or working with teens, by revealing which aspects of teens’ lives are related to their resilience.
Key findings
On average, resilience levels were higher among 16–17 year olds who had:
- consistently close relationships with one or both parents
- at least one close friend
- friends they could trust and communicate with about problems
- a strong sense of belonging at school.
On the other hand, average resilience levels were lower for 16–17 year olds who:
- were more inclined to experience negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, or depression (were high in neuroticism)
- experienced conflict with their parents (between the ages of 12 and 15)
- lacked family support (between the ages of 10 and 13)
- had been the victim of bullying.
At age 16–17, boys reported higher levels of resilience than girls.
Read the full chapter: Adolescents’ resilience.
Acknowledgements
Featured image: © GettyImages/SDI Productions
Publication details
Download Publication
Media Release
Further reading
Examines the peer relationships of Australian Children around mid-adolescence and the influence of these friendships on attitudes and behaviour.
This chapter describes the past help-seeking behaviours and future help-seeking intentions of adolescents, focusing on who adolescents go to for he
This chapter provides a description of how young people are faring in relation to eating problems at 14–15 years of age.
Six in ten Australian 14-15 year-olds know what career they would like to have in the future but the jobs that boys aspire to are different to girl