We’re excited to share a new open-access article in Children and Youth Services Review: Life satisfaction and the moderating role of resilience among disabled young people.
This study examines how disability relates to life satisfaction among young people in Canada and what role resilience plays in shaping that relationship.
Using data from a national survey of 1,323 young people aged 15 to 24, we compared life satisfaction among disabled and non-disabled youth, while also accounting for factors like stress, health, and sociodemographic background.
We found that, on average, disabled young people reported lower life satisfaction than their non-disabled peers. However, when resilience was taken into account, this gap became smaller. Most notably, disabled young people with high levels of resilience did not differ in life satisfaction from non-disabled youth.
These findings suggest that lower life satisfaction among disabled young people reflects social and economic inequities, rather than disability itself. They also point to the importance of strengthening relational, community, and environmental supports that foster resilience within inclusive and supportive systems.
Read the paper:
Goulden, A., Hu, R., & King, B. (2026). Life satisfaction and the moderating role of resilience among disabled young people. Children and Youth Services Review. 182, 108752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108752