Surprising Resilience: Uncovering Hidden Protective Emotional Regulation Strategies in Low-SES Youth Across Cultures

Most research, like Orbach et al. (2025), finds a strong link between SES, mental health, and academic outcomes, but also notes "resilient groups" that thrive despite adversity. This idea proposes a qualitative and mixed-methods study focusing specifically on these outlier groups in settings such as Brazil, Germany, and beyond. By using in-depth interviews and ecological momentary assessment, the project would aim to identify and compare the emotional regulation strategies—possibly non-Western, community-based, or spiritual—that underpin unexpected resilience. This approach challenges deficit-focused models by asking not just what’s “wrong” in low-SES contexts, but what’s working, and why. The findings could radically shift intervention paradigms by highlighting under-recognized, culturally embedded pathways to resilience, offering new tools for practitioners and policymakers.

References:

1. Exploring the interrelationships of children's mental health, socioeconomic status, and math performance: Cross‐cultural patterns in Brazil and Germany. L. Orbach, Emanuelle Silva‐Chelles, J. F. de Salles (2025). Revista de educación.