Overview

Resilience Improvement through Skill Enhancement (RISE) aims to co-develop with adolescents, young people, experts, academicians, developmental psychologists/psychiatrists, and other stakeholders, a universal curriculum that is aimed at improving resilience amongst adolescents. The intervention will be peer-facilitated and be contextually informed, culturally sensitive, as well as adaptable. 

The long-term goals of the project are to address the gap in mental health preventive research and care by collecting relevant information on youth-related challenges and collaboratively developing suitable, feasible, accessible evidence-based tools for adolescents and young adults to better cope with these challenges. 

Rationale 

In recent decades the mental health research trends are shifting their focus from risk and psychopathology to the promotion and prevention of mental health using strength-based approaches, leveraging positive psychological traits, and building on individual competencies. The focus is on the concept of resilience - which is defined as the process of effectively negotiating, adapting to, or managing significant sources of stress or trauma. Assets and resources within the individual, their life, and environment facilitate this capacity for adaptation and ‘bouncing back’ in the face of adversity.  Inoculating these skills at an appropriate age (adolescence) has the potential to impart lasting psychological immunity. 

Progress to date

In its formative research phase, RISE has completed a component analysis of the existing programs and literature to extract the essential skills and competencies required for promoting resilience amongst adolescents. The project team is also conducting a scoping review to gain an understanding of existing resilience programs in low- and middle-income countries. Simultaneously, RISE has been undertaking primary research activities. The project team has completed 10 interviews with experts and has ongoing FGDs with adolescents and young people across India.