© Kamla-Raj 2004                                                                                    J. Soc. Sci., 9(3): 177-184 (2004)

Resiliency Among Inner-City Youths from Selected Areas of Ibadan City, Nigeria: Intervening Protective Factors in

Response to Risk and Disadvantage

KeyWords Resiliency; development; protective factors; family; environment; youths

Abstract Resiliency is exhibited by many youths who are under very difficult situations in life while others suffer permanent developmental delays or disruptions. Two conditions which classify youths as resilient in this study include presence of a significant threat to the youth (such as loss of a parent through death) typically indexed by high risk status and successful adjustment to the high risk such that the youth turned out better than expected. This study attempted to identify protective factors considered important by 75 inner-city youths randomly drawn from Sapati, Oke-Are, Agbowo and Bodija market areas of Ibadan, Nigeria using autobiographical life-history approach to qualitative inquiry. Content analysis of the autobiographical interview was then carried out. The result of the study showed that individual attributes, supportive family environment and extra-familial individuals constitute the protective factors which intervene in the resiliency process of the youths despite the unfavourable circumstances which they have had to face in life.

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