Resilience, social support, and participation among adolescents in conflict situations

Introduction – Conflicts, such as the October 2023 Israel-Gaza war, constitute stressors that may affect individuals' daily participation and resilience, particularly among adolescents. The socio-ecological resilience perspective emphasizes that effects of adversity are not uniform, but vary according to individuals' access to, and capacity to utilize, contextual resources. However, research in this area is scarce. This study examined the contribution of social support (family and friends), and participation in daily activities at school, home and the community, to adolescents' resilience in the context of war. Methods – Using a cross-sectional, correlational design, 209 Israeli 10th–11th graders completed measures of social support, daily participation and resilience. Results – After controlling for gender, regression analysis revealed that family and friends' support, along with perceived importance of school participation, contributed significantly and uniquely to adolescents' resilience. The final model explained a total of 37.3% of the variance in resilience. Discussion – The findings support the socio-ecological resilience perspective, highlighting the potential protective role of family, friends and school participation in shaping adolescents' resilience during war. The results may guide future research in this area, and offer practical directions for developing educational and health programs aimed at strengthening adolescents' resilience in adverse situations.