Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
PURPOSE: Rural adolescents often lack access to mental health care along with increased rates of depression and suicide completion. While psychological strengths have been associated with positive outcomes globally, little is known regarding the prevalence of these indicators (hope, self-efficacy, resilience, optimism, and gratitude) among adolescents living in rural Texas. The purpose of this study was to describe how rural adolescents report their psychological strengths and examine the data for potential gender differences. DESIGN AND METHODS: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data was performed on the RStudio platform using tests of central tendency and inferential statistics. RESULTS: There were 425 valid responses. Rural adolescents possessed indicators of psychological strengths at varying levels, with 16.9% reporting high resilience and 9.2% reporting high optimism. Males reported significantly greater levels of hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and gratitude with gender effect sizes ranging from 2% to 5%. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Within school and community settings, nurses and adults who interact with rural adolescents should consider incorporating tailored strategies that promote growth of psychological strengths, with particular consideration for targeted screening and interventions for at-risk groups.
Preston et al. (Mon,) studied this question.