Social and Individual Factors Predicting Students’ Resilience: A Multigroup Structural Equation Model

Abstract

We investigated students’ resilience predictors during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a two-wave longitudinal sample (n = 713) of students from Greece, Germany, and Switzerland (eighth grade in autumn 2020 and ninth grade in autumn 2021), we determined which social and individual predictors longitudinally predicted resilience before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We identified the high likelihood of individual factors (self-esteem, self-efficacy) fostering resilience by social factors (teacher, parents, and social resources). Multigroup structural equation modeling analyses demonstrated that the adolescent population was best typified by two growth trajectory classes: a low-anxiety class characterized by a low initial level of depression/anxiety and a high-anxiety class characterized by a higher initial level of depression/anxiety. The model was gender-, migration-, and country-invariant. Overall, the model showed that teachers overlook adolescents with high anxiety or depression levels, but parents support them more. These findings highlight the necessity to pay attention to students’ depression or anxiety symptoms and to satisfy their basic psychological needs, as vital prerequisites for their meaningful, coherent engagement in modern societies despite the odds.

Resilience Development of Swiss Adolescents: A Convergent Mixed-Methods Approach

“…Finally, we confirmed previous insights [4,43] that individual supportive indicators contribute to a well-rounded understanding of self-efficacy, demonstrating that personal narratives can transform past adversities into sources of strength and motivation. Navigating through stressful situations [5] with learned coping strategies and differentiated tools marks the development of resilience one step at a time.…”

“…Canceling appointments with a psychologist because they did not help the person in their own experience and criticizing the structurally anchored cooperation between parents and teachers because parents are experienced as the cause of school problems mark two different concrete areas of the multisystemic perspective. Notably, we validated that only certain teachers are perceived as bolstering self-efficacy [5,43], particularly those who form personal connections and foster space for present and future growth. Peer relationships also exhibit dual effects on behavior and learning, which again confirms the context specificity of resilience (support).…”

“…Improving home and school environments and the interaction of these two settings is the most effective way of enhancing resilience [4,7,43]. Following previous insights by Kassis et al [5], it remains an ongoing task for the school system to create space for appreciation, support, and respect for pupils as agents of resilience [8,17].…”