The trait and process of resilience

Abstract

Resilience is the ability of people to 'spring back' in the face of adversity. It is an important concept for nurses as we endeavour to assist individuals to meet the challenges of living with illness and ageing. Researchers from many disciplines in both the social and health sciences have investigated resilience of individuals throughout the life cycle in a variety of situations related to health as well as other life events. Some researchers have investigated resilience as a trait of individuals while other view resilience as a process. This article reviews the current literature on resilience from many disciplines and discusses implications for nursing practice and research.

Characteristics and components of children’s and adolescents’ resilience in disasters in Iran: a qualitative study

“…Recent studies have also emphasized the importance of the psychological component as a factor that affects children’s resilience (Fu, 2012; Grotberg, 2001; Massad et al, 2009; Masten, 2014; Wang, Zhang, & Zimmerman, 2015). Other studies have identified psychological, emotional, cognitive, and mental components as individual and personality traits or characteristics (Jacelon, 1997; Wagnild & Young, 1993), which can determine the capacity of children in disasters, in line with the current study. These characteristics can also be used as indicators of children’s resilience.…”

“…Resilience as a personal characteristic leads to positive adaptation and moderates the negative effects of stressors, enabling people to rehabilitate and maintain their health in spite of existing problems (Tonmyr, Wekerle, Zangeneh, & Fallon, 2011; Wagnild & Young, 1993). According to Zolkoski and Bullock (2012), studies conducted over the past four decades on the concept of resilience indicate that this is a challenging concept for researchers, and there are several different definitions of resilience (Jacelon, 1997; Leipold & Greve, 2009; Nourian, Mohammadi Shahbolaghi, Nourozi Tabrizi, Rassouli, & Biglarrian, 2016; Vinson, 2002). …”

Trajectories and predictors of state and trait anxiety in patients receiving chemotherapy for breast and colorectal cancer: Results from a longitudinal study

“…Current evidence suggests that resilience as a baseline characteristic or trait may facilitate coping with cancer, but could also be an outcome of a successful adaptation to the 'trauma' of being diagnosed with and treated for cancer (Jacelon, 1997;Molina et al, 2014). As resilience is attended by positive emotional experiences and might be a more common reaction to traumatic experiences than generally believed (Bonanno, 2004), a decline in a persons' vulnerability to experience anxiety over the course of cancer treatment is logically consistent.…”

Resilience and mental health

“…In other studies, emotional resilience has been used as a concept to imply the flexible use of emotional resources for adapting to adversity (Waugh, Fredrickson, & Taylor, 2008) or as the process linking resources (adaptive capacities) to outcomes (adaptation) (Norris, Stevens, Pfefferbaum, Wyche, & Pfefferbaum, 2008). Researchers using this concept view resilience as a process or force that drives a person to grow through adversity and disruption (Jacelon, 1997;Richardson & Waite, 2002;Richardson, 2002). The resilience may vary according to age (e.g.…”