Promoting Resiliency in the Youth of Kashmir

Many children are reared in adverse conditions, e.g., poverty, substance abuse, personal or family members' illnesses, family conflicts and violence in society at large. Such situations may inhibit the normal intellectual, emotional and social development of children and youth by interfering in reaching their full potential as adults. Especially, if we look at the youths of Kashmir, India, the problems they face, viz, armed conflict, violence etc. and the impact of these on their minds, mental and physical health, it becomes important to understand the factors which can help them to overcome impact of such adverse situations and help them out to recover from the hardships. It is very imperative now for psychologists to study resilience in the youth living in prolonged violence area and to suggest ways to promote resilience in the younger generation. This paper is an effort in this direction.