Increases in resilience and school performance among elementary school-aged afterschool participants

Abstract

Elementary-school students enrolled in a trauma-informed program participated in a prepost longitudinal study of resilience. The study assesses increases in various components of resilience, the effects of the afterschool program on resilience, and the relationship between resilience and school performance. A shortened version of a reliable resilience survey was developed from Madsen Thompson's Trauma Resilience Scale and administered at students' entry and exit from 3 yearly sessions. The high response rate provided a sample of 103 students, 37 of whom were new students with no ceiling effects. Statistical analysis demonstrated that both contextual and individual resilience increased significantly, with protective components impacting one another. Regression analyses found that the afterschool program supports significantly affected individual resilience increases, and high levels of individual resilience led to increases in school performance. The results suggest that trauma-informed contextual supports may be useful in increasing young students' well-being and closing gaps in academic performance.