E. Enhancing Spirituality, Resilience, and Lived Experience across Diverse Contexts: Identity, meaning, and psychosocial well-being in youth and young adults
Youth Spirituality and Psychosocial Functioning: A Community-Based Sample - presented by Nadeen Alshakhshir
Background: Youth face complex developmental challenges that shape their well-being and sense of purpose, which are associated with improved mental health, academic motivation, and long-term health outcomes. There is limited research on the relationship between psychosocial functioning and spirituality in community-based youth. This study described associations between psychosocial functioning and spirituality in a community-based youth sample.
Methods: We employed a cross-sectional design with 379 youth aged 13-26 attending a statewide community event in 2025. PROMIS pediatric and adult measures were used to examine life satisfaction, meaning and purpose, emotional support, family and peer relationships. The Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality was used to measure spirituality. Z-scored variables were used to standardize comparisons in Pearson correlations and linear regression analyses.
Results: Sample PROMIS means were consistent with the population norms. Spirituality was positively correlated with Meaning and Purpose (r= .27), Life Satisfaction (r= .18), Family Relationships (r= .17), Peer Relationships (r= .16), and Emotional Support (r= .17), all p < 0.05, suggesting consistent, though small, associations across psychosocial domains. Life satisfaction was significantly predicted by meaning and purpose (β= 0.55) and emotional support (β= 0.26) in adults, while predicted by meaning and purpose (β= 0.51) and family relationships (β= 0.30) in pediatrics.
Conclusions: Findings suggest that spirituality is a construct associated with, yet distinct from, measures of psychosocial functioning. Results highlight the importance of assessing spiritual engagement to enhance the well-being of youth in community-based settings. Nurses are well-positioned to support the psychosocial needs of youth through early identification, meaningful conversations, and culturally responsive care.
Patterns of Polystrengths, Well-being, and Depression in Youth: A Longitudinal Mixed Methods Feasibility Study - presented by Wendy Looman
Childhood and adolescence are periods of increased risk for mental health challenges, highlighting the need for nursing-led, strength-based approaches to cultivate resilience. While research shows that one’s portfolio of strengths (polystrengths) can predict psychological outcomes better than adversities, their developmental trajectories in youth remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to explore longitudinal patterns of resilience resources, polystrengths, well-being and depression in youth over two years, and to test the feasibility of a repeated measures protocol (surveys, interviews, and timelining) for virtually assessing resilience trajectories. Using a longitudinal mixed-methods design, data were collected every six months for two years from 20 youth (ages 8-17) recruited from rural and urban communities. Quantitative measures included the Resilience Portfolio Questionnaire and PROMIS scales for well-being and depression. Qualitatively, participants completed structured virtual timeline activities and interviews regarding challenges and coping strategies. Data integration involved calculating a polystrengths index and conducting thematic analysis of timelines grouped by thriving levels. Consistent with prior research, participants with high polystrengths at one or more time points had wellbeing scores in the thriving range. For youth experiencing depression, high polystrengths were associated with improving scores over time. Conversely, those with low polystrengths and depression showed worsening symptoms. Qualitative descriptions of coping strategies aligned with these observed quantitative trends. The virtual assessment protocol, including the timelining activity proved feasible for longitudinal assessments. Assessing polystrengths alongside structured timelining offers a practical framework for nursing interventions. These tools allow clinicians to reinforce existing assets and provide tailored support to improve youth coping. The virtual timelining activity is a feasible, high-utility tool for engaging youth in meaningful dialogue about resilience.
Crests, Troughs, and Plateaus: Using Story Theory to Explore the Experiences of Adolescents and Young People Living with HIV in Kampala, Uganda - presented by Charles Osingada
Introduction: Adolescents and young people living with HIV experience significant challenges, including unmet psychosocial and self-management needs and limited access to adequate HIV information. Peer support strategies that allow individuals to share their personal experiences and life stories have shown promise in improving their engagement in care and addressing the psychological and social challenges of living with HIV. However, current care approaches do not optimize individual life stories as a foundation for delivering patient-centered and individualized care.
Methods: This study applied a story path approach, an innovative way of exploring the experiences of adolescents and young people living with HIV. Specifically, it aimed to identify the high points, low points, and turning points in the health journeys of adolescents and young people living with HIV. This descriptive qualitative study was conducted in 2024. Data were collected through face-to-face individual interviews with adolescents and young people living with HIV and analyzed manually.
Results: Fifteen participants, aged 15 to 24 years (average age 21.4, SD 2.4), were interviewed. The findings revealed that participants experienced uplifting from social support provided by friends, family, school authorities, and peers. Despite this support, many participants experienced emotional distress, faced challenges with medication adherence, and struggled with suicidal ideation. Counseling was a vital turning point in helping nearly all participants improve their health trajectories.
Conclusions: Story theory provides a valuable framework for understanding the health experiences of adolescents and young people living with HIV and for delivering care that is tailored to their unique individual narratives. These findings may be useful to nurses, counselors, and peer supporters involved in the care of this population. Future research should explore ways to integrate story theory into adolescent HIV care services to improve health outcomes for adolescents and young people living with HIV.
I Will Not Live Small: Identity, Agency, and the Sacred Story of a Survivor - presented by Erica Timko Olson
The human condition is unrelenting... we share in the same suffering. This presentation explores the identity of a survivor of early-onset, triple-negative breast cancer who refuses to be reduced to a clinical data point in a patient portal. Through a lived experience, this narrative demonstrates how a patient’s sacred story is layered upon a life already filled with profound loss—from the death of a sibling due to cancer, to the loss of infant twins. These prior experiences create a unique experience of survivorship where the fear of cancer is met with a commitment to "let there be light."
Central to this story is the tension between medical trauma and agency. The contrast of a traumatic, ill-prepared biopsy with the power of compassionate care. The narrative highlights an encounter with an anesthesiologist named Peace, whose care, touch and presence mitigating deep-seated anxiety. This contrast serves as a call to action for healthcare providers to acknowledge the permanent effects of survivorship—where the loss of hair, breasts, and anatomy creates a new, exhausted reality that requires more than just resilience.
Ultimately, this presentation advocates for a survivorship model that honors the survivor’s agency and permission to tell a new story. By acknowledging the intersections of pandemic grief, medical trauma, and grace, clinicians can better support patients who fighting for their lives. To support the agency of the survivor is to ensure they have the space to be worthy of being heard, held, and healed, allowing them to emerge to live a meaningful life.