Capturing Resilience: Utilizing the Brief Child and Youth Resilience Measure with Sexual and Gender Minority Youth

Abstract

Abstract This study explores the relevance of the brief Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-12) for sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) aged 14–23 (N = 4,810), compares their patterns of resilience with general youth populations, and explores distinctions between key subgroups of SGMY. SGMY reported significantly lower scores, indicating poorer outcomes, than non-SGMY in several CYRM-12 items, especially those addressing familial and community support. Older SGMY (aged 19–23) reported significantly higher CYRM-12 scores than younger SGMY (aged 14–18; t = 11.00, p < .001). Compared with their non-SGMY counterparts, SGMY reported significantly lower scores regarding supportive parental relationships, connection to offline community, and school belongingness yet reported higher scores regarding the importance of education. Three factors contributed to SGMY resilience: (1) peer and community belonging, (2) familial and cultural support, and (3) youth’s personal attributes and self-efficacy. The results of this study also suggest that measuring resilience in SGMY should incorporate online as well as offline sources. Recommendations to enhance the CYRM-12 to capture the experiences of SGMY for social work research and practice are provided.