Learning the skills of resiliency for better mental health
This year’s American Psychological Association annual convention heard a number of interesting findings from academic studies on the topic of ‘resiliency’. It was predicted that resiliency was a skill that could be taught to children through regular classroom instruction, and would result in an improved outlook on life, less depression, and even better grades.
With nearly 20% of American children now being diagnosed with symptoms of depression, psychologists are saying that the last 50 years of increased standards of living in the material sense have not led to more happiness in the country’s children. In fact measurements of people’s sense of meaning, the belief that life had purpose, and being satisfied with life have gone down in every way that can be quantified.
These dismal effects on the young carry over into their adulthood, and lead to early death, more health problems, less satisfaction with jobs, more relationship failure, and, in turn, yet higher rates of depression.
Investigator Martin Seligman, PhD of the University of Pennsylvania, presented his findings to the convention that showed how the methodical teaching of resilience, positive emotion, and a sense of purpose in school can protect children against depression, increase their life satisfaction, and improve their learning power.
His team investigated the effectiveness of two evidence-based programs: the Penn Resiliency Program (PRP) and the Positive Psychology Program (PPP). The PRP was intended to increase the students’ ability to handle daily stresses and common problems facing adolescents, and prevent depression. PRP promoted optimism by teaching students to think more realistically, and be more flexible. Other skills were assertiveness training, creative brainstorming, decision-making, relaxation skills, and a range of other coping and problem-solving skills and techniques.
It was found that this program, undertaken by a cross-section of the general public, across the various socio-economic classes and races that make up the modern USA, worked very well to reduce hopelessness and depressive symptoms.
The other program assessed was the PPP, which sought to assist students by helping them to recognise their core character strengths (such as courage, kindness, patience, perseverance) and to incorporate these strengths into their daily lives more fully. The program consisted of up to 25 sessions during Grade Nine (age 15). These students were also required to keep a journal of their experience of the program. One exercise required the students to write down every day three good things that had happened to them and what was good about them.
Examples might have been activities like “I helped mum shop for groceries”, “I answered a really hard question in class”, or “He finally asked me out!” Then they were expected to answer the question of what it meant to them, or how they could do more of that in the future. This helped them to recognise positive activities in their lives, and how to make the opportunity for more of the same.
After the program the students who had taken PPP were reported by teachers to be more curious about what they were doing, now loved learning, and showed more creativity in approaching their assignments. The participating students themselves reported enjoying school more, and having more involvement in school than ever before. According to their parents the students in the PPP became more empathetic, increased their capacity for self-control, and had more desire to cooperate and assert themselves.
Both of these programs had excellent results, and showed that teaching children to nurture their own resiliency, purpose in life and positive feelings can bring a new sense of meaning to young people’s lives. It instils positive thinking and the many skills of resilience to prepare them for adult challenges. The success of these programs is laudable.
Parents wishing to give their children the best psychological foundation for life could teach these same skills at home. Everyone needs to learn what their core character strengths are and how to make the best use of them. Everyone needs to be taught to be aware of and grateful for the good things that happen each day, and to realise how their own attitude can set the stage for more good things to happen. Everyone needs to learn to be assertive and self-confident.
In fact, everyone needs to know how to utilise relaxation skills, because life is not going to get any easier or any slower in our lifetimes. If we have not learned these things as children then it is not too late to begin to learn them as adults, through extension courses at our local universities, the WEA, or through using books such as Dr Seligman’s Learned Optimism. There are many excellent self-improvement and self-development programs on offer, and worth taking through out life. Resiliency is a skill set worth developing for all of your family members’ best mental health.
