Impact of resilience on health in older adults: a cross-sectional analysis from the International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS)

Abstract

ObjectivesSelf-rated health (SRH) is a predictor of objective health measures, including mortality and morbidity. The link between resilience and SRH among the elderly is unclear. We aim to examine whether resilience aligns with SRH and, secondarily, whether resilience can override the negative health consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACE).Design and settingWe use 2012, 2014 and 2016 data from the International Mobility in Aging Study, a longitudinal cohort study that collects survey and biophysical data from Albania, Brazil, Colombia and Canada. The main independent variables were resilience and ACE (social and economic).ParticipantsCommunity-dwelling 65–74 year olds (in 2012) were recruited through primary care registers. The sample size of the study was 1506.Primary outcomeThe outcome measure was SRH.ResultsWe found that sex, site, economic ACE, current income sufficiency, current depressive symptoms, current physical function and current resilience were associated with current SRH. In regression analyses, we showed that the association between ACE and SRH disappeared once factors such as sex, site, income, depression, physical health and resilience were considered.ConclusionsThe association between resilience and health poses a compelling argument for building resilience throughout life.

COVID-19, Psychological Well-being and Physical Activity Levels in Older Adults During the Nationwide Lockdown in Spain

“…Moreover, the results indicated that they felt more optimistic about this situation. This is important because resilience has been linked to positive emotions in stressful situations, 16 overall well-being, 42 life satisfaction, 43 self-rated health 44 and better quality of life (physical and psychological) in older adults. 17 The importance of promoting resilience in the medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic has been highlighted, 10 but also the general population should be resilient during these tough days.…”

Development of a resilience scale for oldest-old age (RSO)

“…This concept includes multiple resources for adaptation, such as psychological resources (e.g., self-esteem, coping ability), health resources (e.g., health promotion, physical activity), and sociocultural resources (e.g., social networks, social capital). Resilience among older people has been related to health outcomes such as survival [ 15 – 17 ], independence [ 18 ], self-rated health [ 19 ], and depression [ 20 , 21 ]. A review focused on resilience in oldest-old age [ 22 ] suggested that the conceptualization of resilience is the process of interaction between surrounding adversity, resource availability and mobilization, and positive outcomes.…”

Gender Differences in Resilience Among Older Taiwanese Adults

“…Scores were totalled to generate a resilience score, with a higher score indicating a higher level of resilience. The median value of resilience scores was determined and was used to categorize respondents into 'low' and 'high' resilience (9). Independent variables included sociodemographic, health-related, social relationships, and behavioural factors.…”

“…Declining health is a general concern among older Taiwanese adults (8). In the literature, better health was observed to be associated with greater resilience (9). However, it is not known if gender impacts this association.…”

“…It was reported that men and women have marked differences in health with regards to disease prevalence and severity (10). Thus, it is important that differences in gender be considered in resilience studies using a valid, objective marker for health such as a self-rated health tool (9).…”