The Resilience Factor: What Extension Can Learn from Adolescents Coping with Parental Cancer

Using a developmental systems framework and grounded theory methods, the study reported here describes the psychosocial experiences of late adolescents coping with parental cancer. Results suggest three primary psychosocial developmental influences, including multilevel influences, coping strategies to maintain control, and responses to uncertainty and anticipatory grief. Identity and intimacy were the two most salient psychosocial tasks. The central unifying concept of resilience was the primary psychosocial developmental outcome that resulted from coping with parental cancer during late adolescence. This finding illuminates the need for Extension to expand its focus on positive outcomes that can result from coping with life crises during adolescence

Empowering Today\u27s Foster Youth and Parents for Tomorrow\u27s Future

The purpose of this presentation is to share how Kentucky developed a program focusing on life skills for foster youth before they age out of the system to increase self-sufficiency and parenting skills for foster parents and relatives that are raising youth. Objectives include increased understanding and use of critical life skills for self-sufficiency by foster youth; increased understanding and use of critical parenting skills; and increased community partnerships among youth and family organizations in target communities