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Ann S. MastenDistinguished McKnight University Professor Ph.D., 1982, University of Minnesota Office: 205 Child Development Competence, risk, and resilience in development |
I study risk and resilience in development, with a focus on the processes leading to positive adaptation and outcomes in young people whose development is threatened by adversity. With many terrific colleagues and students, I have studied adaptation in diverse children, adolescents, and young adults, including children growing up in ordinary situations in the city or on farms, and children who must overcome extreme threats to development, such as war, disaster, and homelessness. The ultimate objectives of this work are to inform basic science and the policies or programs designed to promote positive development and a better future for children whose lives are threatened by adversity.
I direct the Project Competence studies of risk and resilience, which include a longitudinal study of 205 children and their families recruited in the late 1970s from an urban school district and followed for more than 20 years with 90% retention. Data and publications from this study span many topics, including the development of competence and personality, the role of protective factors in resilience, the roots of adult happiness and civic engagement, and many other themes. We learned that youth who overcome childhood adversity and continue on to adult success have more protections and resources in their lives than their peers who do not fare as well. We also observed “late bloomers” whose lives took a dramatic turn for the better in the transition to adulthood, suggesting that new resources, opportunities, and supports converge in this window to promote positive change.
Other recent research is focused on understanding school success in homeless and highly mobile (HHM) children. Our goal is to examine risk and resilience at multiple levels of analysis, including biological indicators of stress, cognitive skills, social interactions, family qualities and school differences, with a focus on protective factors that are amenable to intervention. This work is fully collaborative with partners in the school districts and shelters, as well as local and State agencies who share concerns about achievement disparities. Analyses of district data show expected achievement gaps between advantaged and poor children, with HHM children at highest overall risk; however, results also reveal striking variability, with some mobile children doing well in school. Intensive studies of young children from homeless shelters entering kindergarten and first grade suggest that executive function skills and quality of parenting play a powerful role in successful transitions to school for these children.
At the national and international level, I collaborate with
colleagues in multiple disciplines to understand human
development in relation to migration, natural disasters, and
war. I am keenly interested in the integration of resilience
theory and findings across disciplines and scale in order to
mitigate impact and enhance recovery from major disasters
such as hurricanes, flu pandemic, or terrorism.
In all of this work, our focus is on processes that account
for positive adaptation in the context of risk, with the
ultimate objective of learning how best to promote
resilience in human development.
Recent publications
Masten, A. S., Long, J. D., Kuo, S. I-C., McCormick, C. M., & Desjardins, C. D. (2009). Developmental models of strategic intervention. European Journal of Developmental Science, 3, 282-291.
Shaffer, A., Burt, K. B., Obradovic, J., Herbers, J. E., & Masten, A. S. (2009). Intergenerational continuity in parenting quality: The mediating role of social competence. Developmental Psychology 45, 1227-1240.
Masten, A. S., Cutuli, J. J., Herbers, J. E., & Gabrielle-Reed, M. J. (2009). Resilience in development. In Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (Eds.), The handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed.) (pp. 117-131). New York: Oxford University Press.
Obradović, J., Long, J. D., Cutuli, J. J., Chan, C.-K., Hinz, E., Heistad, D., & Masten, A. S. (2009). Academic achievement of homeless and highly mobile children in an urban school district: Longitudinal evidence of risk, growth, and resilience. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 493-518.
Masten. A. S., & Motti-Stefanidi, F. (2009). Understanding and promoting resilience in children: Promotive and protective processes in schools. In T. B. Gutkin & C. R. Reynolds (Eds.), The handbook of school psychology (4th ed.) (pp. 721-738). New York: Wiley.
Burt, K. B., & Masten, A. S. (2009). Development in the transition to adulthood: Vulnerabilities and opportunities. In J. E. Grant & M. N. Potenza (Eds.), Young adult mental health (pp. 5-18). New York: Oxford University Press.
Masten, A. S. (2009). Ordinary Magic: Lessons from
research on resilience in human development. Education
Canada, 49(3): 28-32.
http://www.cea-ace.ca/media/en/Ordinary_Magic_Summer09.pdf
Masten, A. S. (2009). Resilience in Children and Youth: A
practical guide. Schools for All Encyclopedia. Health Canada
and the Health and Learning Knowledge Centre of the Canadian
Council.
http://schoolsforall-encyclopedia.wetpaint.com/page/Resilience+Defined+%26+Applied
Masten, A. S., Heistad, D., Cutuli, J. J., Herbers, J.
E., Obradović, J., Chan, C-KL., Hinz, I., & Long, J. D.
(2008). School success in motion: Protective factors for
academic achievement in homeless and highly mobile children
in Minneapolis. CURA Reporter, 38 (2), pp. 3-12.
http://www.cura.umn.edu/reporter/08-Summ/Summ-08-issue.pdf
Masten, A. S., Faden, V. B., Zucker, R. A., & Spear, L. P. (2008). Underage drinking: A developmental framework. Pediatrics, 121, Supplement 4, S235-S251.
Motti-Stefanidi, F., Pavlopoulos, V., Obradović, J., Dalla, M., Takis, N., Papathanassiou, A., & Masten, A. S. (2008). Immigration as a risk factor for adolescent adaptation in Greek urban schools. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 5, 235-261.
Shiner, R. L., & Masten, A. S. (2008). Personality in childhood: A bridge from early temperament to adult outcomes. European Journal of Developmental Science, 2, 158-175.
Masten, A. S., Herbers, J. E., Cutuli, J. J., & Lafavor, T. L. (2008). Promoting competence and resilience in the school context. Professional School Counseling, 12, 76-84.
Burt, K. B., Obradović, J., Long, J. D., & Masten, A. S. (2008). The interplay of social competence and psychopathology over 20 years: testing transactional and cascade models. Child Development, 79, 359-374.
Motti-Stefanidi, F., Pavlopoulos, V., Obradović, J., & Masten, A. S. (2008). Acculturation and adaptation of immigrant adolescents in Greek urban schools. International Journal of Psychology, 43, 45-58.
Obradović, J., & Masten, A. S. (2007). Developmental antecedents of young adult civic engagement. Applied Developmental Science, 11(1), 2-19.
Masten, A. S. (2007). Resilience in developing systems: Progress and promise as the fourth wave rises. Development and Psychopathology, 19, 921-930.
Masten, A. S. (Ed.) (2007). Multilevel dynamics in developmental psychopathology: The Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology. Vol. 34. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.