Resilience In Mental Health

Resilience is referred to as the ability to “sustain psychological stability in the face of stress” (Combes-Malcome, 2007). Positive outcomes associated with resilience are the alleviation of the negative effects of stress, the promotion of adaptation, and the development of effective coping skills to deal with change and adversity (Ahern, Kiehl, Sole, & Byers, 2006; Richardson, Neiger, Jensen, & Kumpfer, 1990). Resilience is an important factor for preventing the development of psychopathology and maintaining optimal functioning, physical health and psychological health despite stressful life circumstances (Ryff & Singer, 2003). Many researchers believe that resilience can be strengthened because it is not a “hard-wired” personality trait

Early interest in the study of resilience in the mental health field was based on understanding adaptation in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (Masten, Best, & Garmezy, 1990) and children of mothers diagnosed with schizophrenia (Garmezy, 1970). Since then, there has not been one single universally accepted definition for resilience, but it is commonly agreed that it is one’s ability to recover from hardship or trauma (Southwick & Charney, 2012). The American Psychological Association (2010) defines resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or even significant sources of threat.” As research has accumulated in this area, various factors such as socioeconomic advantage, family history of mental health, maltreatment, poverty, physical health, violence in the community, and calamities that one experiences during their life have emerged as factors associated with resilience (e.g., Beeghly & Cicchetti, 1994; Garmezy, 1991; Luthar, 1991; Masten & Coatsworth, 1995; Moran & Eckenrode, 1992; O’Dougherty-Wright, Masten, Northwood, & Hubbard, 1997; Wells & Schwebel,

Understanding these factors is crucial to promoting overall resilience in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Some authors have conceptualized resilience as a personality trait, stemming from early research in hardiness (e.g., Bartone, Ursano, Wright, & Ingraham, 1989; Kobasa, 1979; Ong, Bergeman, Bisconti, & Wallace, 2006). Other researchers have described this construct as a personality trait consisting of equanimity, perseverance, self-reliance, meaningfulness, and existential aloneness (Wagnild & Young, 1993). Connor and Davidson (2003) included multiple dimensions of the concept of resilience: hardiness, clarity of goal/aim, action orientation, strong self-esteem, adaptability, social problem solving skills, humor when faced with stress, patience, and tolerance. Others have focused on resilience as positive adaptation in adversity or risky situations (Masten & Powell, 2003; Waugh, Fredrickson, & Taylor, 2008). According to this approach, resilient individuals are identified based on their ability to adapt well when faced with a significant amount of risk or adversity