Colloquium

Sidebar: Why Some Kids Bounce Back By Sharon Keeler

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Jessica Robinson, at left, with her mentor, Monique Teran '00, a psychology major.

While many researchers today are trying to figure out why some kids get into trouble, Sharyn Zunz is more interested in why others don't.

A social work professor at the University of New Hampshire, Zunz is now a far from the hustle of New York City, where she lived and worked for many years. As a social worker there, she saw kids damaged by abuse and neglect. Yet many of those kids who lived in horrendous situations turned out all right, and she was intrigued by their ability to bounce back in the face of such adversity.

"Why do certain kids have the strength to walk by the drug dealers every day, and not become dealers or abusers?" says Zunz. "Why do some children bounce back more easily from divorce or the death of a parent? Sometimes these kids are from the same families. So what is it about these survivors that make them so resilient?"

Through her research in New York and most recently in Manchester, N.H., Zunz has determined that mentors can be one of the protective factors that shield youth from the effects of a high stress environment and help them grow into healthy individuals. She notes that stressful environments can exist for kids everywhere, from the urban inner city to rural middle-middle class communities.

"Children are more resilient if they have a positive attachment to an adult who serves as a friend, mentor, coach or advisor," says Zunz. "The adult does not have to be a family member, but can be anyone who encourages the child to realize his or her potential."

She says that these adults can provide opportunities for children to develop talents or skills that help them feel good about themselves, leading to improved self-esteem. Children who have confidence in their own ability, she says, feel they have more effect over the outcomes in their lives, and this makes them more resilient when faced with challenges.