Analytical Examination of Psychosocial Predictors of Resilience Among Adolescents in Communities Recovering from Communal Violence in Plateau State

Communal violence in Plateau State has exposed generations of adolescents to recurrent displacement, bereavement, and community disruption, yet the psychosocial predictors of resilience in this population have not been empirically identified in a way that guides targeted intervention. This study empirically examines the psychosocial predictors of resilience among adolescents in communities recovering from communal violence in Jos and surrounding areas, Plateau State. A cross-sectional analytical survey is applied to 300 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years from six recovering communities, selected through stratified purposive sampling. The Child and Youth Resilience Measure, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and a Community Connectedness Scale are administered. Multiple regression analysis in SPSS identifies the relative predictive weights of psychosocial predictors including social support, self-esteem, spirituality, and community connectedness. Literature from North Central Nigerian conflict recovery psychology identifies social support from non-parental adults and community belonging as the most consistently significant resilience predictors in post-violence adolescent populations. Ungar's Ecological Resilience Theory and Rutter's Protective Process Model provide the theoretical framework. Findings fill a significant empirical gap in the psychosocial resilience literature for Nigerian conflict-affected adolescents and will guide community-level psychosocial support programme targeting in Plateau State. Keywords: resilience, psychosocial predictors, communal violence, adolescents, Plateau State.