Coastal regions play a vital economic role in developing countries like India, but are also highly vulnerable to climate-related risks. Adolescents residing in these regions often face environmental and socio-economic stressors that can impact their immediate and long-term wellbeing. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between stress and resilience among coastal adolescents, while also exploring the moderating role of birth order and gender differences. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 153 adolescents from government-aided schools in Chellanam Panchayat, Kochi, Kerala. The Adolescence Stress Scale and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale were utilized to measure stress and resilience. Spearman rank correlation and moderation analysis were performed using SPSS version 25 since the data followed a non-normal distribution. Findings revealed a moderate negative correlation between stress and resilience (rs = – 0.416, p < 0.001), indicating that higher stress levels were associated with lower resilience among coastal adolescents. Among the various domains of stress, family-related stress shown the strongest inverse association with resilience. Further, males reported higher stress levels than females, though resilience did not significantly differ by gender differences. Interestingly, birth order significantly moderated the relationship between stress and resilience, with later-born adolescents more adversely affected by the stressors. The findings underscore the need for targeted, context-specific resilience enhancing psychological interventions for adolescents in coastal communities which could improve their long-term wellbeing. These findings hold relevance for public health policy and mental health among marginalized communities.
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