Youness Robert-Tahiri, a Laidlaw Scholar at the University of Toronto, explores childhood adversity, aggression, and self-regulation.
Research Title:
Exploring Childhood Adversity, Aggression, and Self-Regulation: A Meditation Analysis
Childhood adversity leads to negative health outcomes, especially within low socioeconomic families. However, research involving this population is lacking; therefore, an exploratory study was conducted assessing the relationship between childhood adversity, aggression, and self-regulation while controlling for child age and sex. A questionnaire was administered to caregivers of children aged 6–18 months which used: the Beck Depression Inventory to assess adversity; the Child Behavior Checklist to assess aggression; and the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire to assess self-regulation. A mediation analysis then found that self-regulation partially mediated the association between childhood adversity and aggression—helping explain about one-third of their association. This potential identification of self-regulation as a protective factor for vulnerable children has important implications. Specifically, the development of interventions, especially arts-based ones, that promote self-regulation within schools in low socioeconomic neighbourhoods should be prioritized. However, being an exploratory study that relied on caregiver response items, more robust studies that include behavioural observations should first be conducted. Nonetheless, the findings of this paper shed light on an underserved population, which can create momentum for beneficial interventions that promote children’s well-being.
Presenting my Summer 1 Laidlaw research project at the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network Conference at the Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA, US.
Where did your passion for this research originate?
I have always been fascinated by how individuals respond differently to the same type of adverse situation. For example, if Child A and Child B both separately experience a similar type of traumatic event, then how come Child A might end up obtaining a PhD and experiencing loving relationships, while Child B might end up dropping out of high school and experiencing homelessness for the rest of their life? The path of Child B seems 100% preventable, and to do so, I strongly believe harnessing protective factors—such as self-regulation—could enable similar developmental trajectories for individuals who experience adversity.
As someone who overcame early adversity, I have a deep personal tie to this research. Even though I experienced youth homelessness, I was fortunate enough to find a way to still obtain higher education and cultivate loving relationships in my life. However, the same was not the case with some of my friends that I grew up with who experienced similar hardship. Therefore, my research is driven by the privilege that I feel from being in the position that I am in. Unfortunately, andstatistically speaking, most youth who experience this type of adversity do not end up in roles that could effect change on a policy level—decisions on research involving this population are often left to individuals without lived experience. Therefore, on a broader level, I aim to change this by promoting the benefit of lived experience within research and beyond.
What is the most memorable moment from your Laidlaw scholarship experience so far?
There have been so many memorable moments from my Laidlaw scholarship experience, but if I had to highlight one in particular, it would have to be getting interviewed about my leadership project by alocal radio station in South Africa during the Leadership-in-Action component. I was working out of SOS Children’s Villages, which is a non-governmental organization that houses orphaned, abandoned, and precariously housed youth in Cape Town. Within my interview, I discussed my project, which involved designing and implementing a comedy-based psychosocial intervention for teenagers at the center. I drew upon my past experience as a comedian and youth improvisation instructor—which is a performance art form that involves making up scenes to make an audience laugh—to engage the center’s teens in programming that was both fun and psychologically enriching. After sharing this to the radio station’s thousands of listeners, the center received multiple calls from local academics in Cape Town who were requesting to speak with me about my project. This is the first time that I felt that “I made it” in academia, and it permanently bolstered my confidence throughout my subsequent projects.
Being interviewed (very early in the morning - can you tell?) by Heart FM during my Leadership-in-Action project at SOS Children’s Villages in Cape Town, South Africa.
What is the biggest challenge you came across in your research and leadership journeys so far, and what did you learn from it?
My biggest challenge that I came across in my research and leadership journeys was myself; I had to continuously learn how to “get out of my own way” to become to the leader that I envisioned becoming. This especially came across in the form ofimposter syndrome, where I often felt as if I did not deserve to be a Laidlaw Scholar. This also came across, early on, as my reluctance to advocate for myself in various scenarios; I did not feel as if I was worthy of it. Throughout the Laidlaw scholarship experience, I engaged in various leadership activities that allowed me to confront the part of myself that centered around a pervasive sense of inadequacy; I soon realized that there simply was not any evidence to support this core belief of mine. Slowly but surely, I obtained more confirmatory experiences that solidified, not only my sense of belonging in the program, but also my sense of belonging in every other part of my life.
First day of my Leadership-in-Action project at SOS Children’s Villages in Cape Town, South Africa.
What does it mean for you to be a Laidlaw Scholar?
Being a Laidlaw Scholar means being part of a community of future-oriented academics who are deeply passionate about making meaningful contributions to society while being fuelled by strong character and integrity. Essentially, to me, it means making one’s time on Earth as beneficial as possible for future generations. It is a privilege to have had access to an opportunity like this and, therefore, my growth as a Laidlaw Scholar comes with a considerable amount of responsibility. It is imperative to use this newfound knowledge to help others who are not fortunate enough to be admitted into such a program—it is essential to continuously pay it forward. I now aim to do this at a graduate level as I am currently applying to various Clinical Psychology PhD programs.
Which particular leaders inspire you the most and why?
I am especially inspired by leaders who are able to (somehow) maintain a sense of humor despite experiencing extreme hardship. A great example of this isJuliano Mer-Khamis, who was an Israeli-Palestinian actor and activist before he was tragically assassinated in 2011. His ability to approach challenging topics with both compassion and humor—such as navigating being socially rejected in both Israel and Palestine due to his background—was incredibly inspiring. This even led to him opening his own theatre—the Freedom Theatre—to engage youth in theatrical plays that were geared toward improving children’s mental health and promoting social change and peace within Palestine.
Relatedly, I recently had the pleasure of seeingAntonia Novello speak, who was the first woman and first Hispanic to serve as Surgeon General. Within her live interview at APA 2024, she was able to handle challenging topics—such as healthcare inequity in the US—with such powerful humor and grace. She left me crying from laughter, but also feeling enraged and inspired to engage in meaningful social change. This skill, which Juliano Mer-Khamis also seemed to master, is what I envision utilizing in becoming a future leader within children’s mental health.
Briefly describe a scene from the future you are striving to create.
Picture this. Child A is unable to live with their family due to abuse, while Child B is raised in a loving home. Instead of Child A being tossed around in various social welfare systems, they are assessed by a mental health professional, and a specifically designed program is administered to them that focuses on developing a protective factor based on their situation. Instead of approaching their prognosis from a deficit-basis mindset, they are instead prescribed social activities (e.g., comedy classes) to tackle their childhood adversity from a strengths-based mindset. Years go by and, instead of Child A becoming a statistical regularity insofar as either being incarcerated, homeless, or involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric institution, they are instead sitting side-by-side with Child B in a graduate seminar as part of their PhD program. The future I envision does not condemn children for events that were out of their control.
Final class comedy show on my final day of my Leadership-in-Action project at SOS Children’s Villages in Cape Town, South Africa.
A Message from Youness
I have been invited by the European headquarters ofSOS Children’s Villages to “go on tour” with my comedy-based psychosocial intervention that I implemented in Cape Town, South Africa during my Laidlaw Leadership-in-Action project. They are specifically interested in having me visit their other centers in South Africa, as well as other centers across different countries in Africa. We are currently attempting to find an external sponsor to fund this endeavor. If you know of any partner organization that might be interested in supporting this, please feel free to pass on my information:
Relatedly, if you ever want to connect regarding anything that I shared here, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Lastly, please consider supporting the specific center that I worked with during my Leadership-in-Action project in Cape Town, South Africa with SOS Children’s Villages. They are currently in need of many basic necessities, and I know their director, Zama Mbele, would wholeheartedly appreciate any donation.
If you are interested in donating your time as a volunteer instead, please feel free to connect with themhere; they are currently accepting applications for various types of positions. I guarantee you that it will be a life-changing experience and I strongly encourage you to apply.
“The finest souls are those who gulped pain and avoided making others taste it.” ― Nizar Qabbani
🌈 Something that made me feel joy recently:
Virtually reuniting with some of the teenagers that I worked with in South Africa for my Leadership-in-Action project as part of an on-going mentorship program that I have launched with staff at SOS Children’s Villages.
If you want to learn more about Youness's work, explore his research here and follow him on LinkedIn. Youness Robert-Tahiriis a Laidlaw Undergraduate Leadership and Research Scholar at the@University of Toronto. Become a Laidlaw Scholar to conduct a research project of your choice, develop your leadership skills, and join a global community of changemakers from world-leading universities.
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