Using resilience concepts within youth behaviour change interventions: a review and model for integration

Abstract

Background: A resilience approach is valuable for tacking health risks facing young people. Using and adapting established behaviour change techniques to align with a resilience approach may facilitate active facilitation of resilience processes. Methods: We reviewed published health behaviour change interventions in the Web of Knowledge database engaging with ‘resilience’ (e.g. through keyword assignment), targeting young people, and focusing on alcohol use, substance use, smoking or sexual risk. Interventions (N = 40) were coded for engagement with resilience processes and for implicit or explicit use of behaviour change techniques. Findings were analysed using content analysis. Findings: Few published interventions designed to enhance resilience processes explicitly linked resilience processes to identified behaviour change techniques. Implicit use of techniques was more frequent, but inconsistent. Discussion: We present a model integrating resilience theory and practice with relevant behaviour change techniques, adapting Abraham & Michie’s (2008) taxonomy to identify key techniques which conceptually align with a resilience approach. This model may guide practitioners and researchers in designing, developing and evaluating effective interventions to enhance young people’s resilience when facing key health risks.