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A Measure of Resilience with Contextual Sensitivity—The CYRM-28: Exploring the Tension Between Homogeneity and Heterogeneity in Resilience Theory and Research

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Resilience in Children, Adolescents, and Adults

Part of the book series: The Springer Series on Human Exceptionality ((SSHE))

Abstract

In this chapter, we build on three propositions regarding the concept of resilience. First, we understand resilience to refer to coping under stress, and therefore a description of populations who do well when facing adversity. The term is not the same as the processes that contribute to positive development across an entire population, nor the everyday qualities that promote well-being. In fact research shows that the mechanisms that are protective under stress operate differently depending on the amount of adversity individuals and their families or communities experience (Rutter, 2009; Ungar, 2011). An external asset such as a mentor is going to account for far more of the change in a child’s development trajectory if the child has been exposed to severe and persistent neglect (Gilligan, 1999; Larson, 2006), just as an internal asset like persistence is more advantageous to a child whose schools are inadequately funded, or if she is excluded because of cultural norms regarding gender and education (Shin, Daly, & Vera, 2007).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We have also been able to establish reproducibility agreement for the CYRM-28. A subsample of 53 youth who completed the measure approximately 3 weeks apart provided test–retest data. Interclass Correlation Coefficients (absolute agreement) showed satisfactory psychometric properties for the measure (ranging from 0.583 to 0.773). Furthermore, paired sample t-tests showed no significant differences between Time 1 and Time 2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Resilience Research Centre, Dalhousie University, 6420 Coburg Road, 15000, Halifax, NS, Canada, B3H 4R2

    Michael Ungar Ph.D. & Linda Liebenberg Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Michael Ungar Ph.D.
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  2. Linda Liebenberg Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Linda Liebenberg Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Resiliency Institute of Allenhurst, LLC., North Edgemere Drive 625, W. Allenhurst, 07711, New Jersey, USA

    Sandra Prince-Embury

  2. , Dept. Psychology, Western University, Social Science Centre, London, N6A 5C2, Ontario, Canada

    Donald H. Saklofske

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Ungar, M., Liebenberg, L. (2013). A Measure of Resilience with Contextual Sensitivity—The CYRM-28: Exploring the Tension Between Homogeneity and Heterogeneity in Resilience Theory and Research. In: Prince-Embury, S., Saklofske, D. (eds) Resilience in Children, Adolescents, and Adults. The Springer Series on Human Exceptionality. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4939-3_18

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