Developmental and cultural assets and resilient outcomes in First Nations young people in care: An initial test of an explanatory model

Resilience has been defined as a positive adaptation in the face of serious threats to development (Masten, 2006). The present study is among the first to focus on resilience among Canadian First Nations youth living in out-of-home care, who constitute the largest group of Aboriginal youth in care. The participants were 97 First Nations young people (49 males, 48 females), aged 10-17 and drawn from an ongoing study of young people in care in Ontario, Canada. The second Canadian adaptation of the Assessment and Action Record (AAR-C2-2006; Flynn, Vincent & Legault, 2009) from Looking After Children was used to collect data on all of the study variables. The criterion variables were the young person's prosocial behavior, self-esteem, educational performance, and behavioral difficulties. The predictor variables were the levels of the young person's developmental assets and cultural assets, with statistical controls for gender, age, and level of cumulative risk. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the greater the level of the youth's developmental assets, the higher was his or her level of resilience on all four criterion variables. Also, the greater the level of the young person's cultural assets, the lower was his or her level of behavioral difficulties. The implications of the findings for child welfare practice with First Nations youth in care were discussed.