Resilience to COVID-19 challenges: Lessons for school psychologists serving school-attending black South African youth aged 10 to 19 years old. (April 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pillay, Jace
• Other Names: Matsopoulos Anastassios guest-editor.; Theron Linda guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: School psychology international. Volume 44:Number 2(2023)
• Page Start: 172
• Page End: 189
• Publication Date: 2023-04
• Subjects: Black children -- COVID-19 challenges -- social-ecological -- resilience -- schoolattending youth -- school psychologists; Educational psychology -- Periodicals; School psychology -- Periodicals; 370.1505
• DOI: 10.1177/01430343221135872
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0143-0343

Abstract

Several studies have highlighted the mental health challenges of children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period, especially, in relation to an escalation of depression, anxiety, and stress. Whilst this may be the reality, it is unfortunate that most of the studies adopt a psychopathological point of departure often portraying doom and gloom. Adopting a social ecological resilience perspective the author focuses on the resilience of school-attending black South African youth during the COVID-19 lockdown period. The Child and Youth Resilience Measurement (CYRM-28) was completed by 4165 respondents in grades 4 to 12 (females = 2431, 58.4%; males = 1734, 41.6%) from the Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North-West provinces in South Africa. The findings indicate that school psychologists must consider gender, age and school levels when they design school-based resilience programmes for black South African children. Particular emphasis should be placed on contextual resilience highlighting spiritual, religious, cultural and educational factors. A major lesson for school psychologists is to ensure that school-based resiliency programmes adopt a whole school approach that includes children, their families and local communities for the successful promotion of resilience during adverse situations as postulated by the social ecological resilience model.