Research paper 1: Thomas M. Kelley; Jasmine Alexander; Jack Pransky

An experimental design was used to test the efficacy of a new resilience building intervention for children and adolescents grounded in the logic of an understanding known as The Three Principles. Youth in California and Iowa received this intervention while their waitlist control groups participated in other programs. Results showed significant increases in resilience for youth exposed to this intervention with the greatest increase shown for high-risk youth. Also, a reduction in risky behavior was found for California treatment youth. While females, regardless of location or experimental group, showed increases in resilience, gender did not appear to account for the improved resilience for youth exposed to this intervention. Qualitative findings appear to support the explanation that treatment youth experienced new insights regarding how psychological experience is created using the power of thought, and how innate mental health/resilience is realized via a clear mind—that led to improved resilience and less risky behavior.

CONCLUSION

This study appears to demonstrate that the Three Principles Building Resilience in Youth Program TPBRYP may be a promising new intervention for increasing resilience and reducing risky behavior for children and at-risk adolescents. Participants exposed to the TPBRYP showed significant increases in resilience compared to their controls with the greatest increase shown for high-risk participants. Furthermore, a reduction in risky behavior was found for California participants who were labeled by their school as “at-risk.” Qualitative findings appear to support the explanation that youth exposed to this intervention experienced new insights regarding how psychological experience is created from within using thought, and how innate mental health/resilience can be realized via a clear mind, which led to improve improved resilience and behavior. Although more rigorous, controlled research is needed to test the efficacy of The Three Principles intervention for building resilience for children and adolescents, these findings appear to warrant the attention of resilience and prevention professionals.