What Is Resilience?

Dr. Gill Windle Research Fellow

Dementia Services Development CentreBangor University

19th May 2009

Psychological Resilience The individual as a source of resilience

• The well-being paradox – how do people maintain well-being when other areas of their lives are less than desirable?

Self ratings of health status according to actual levels levels of ill health

Low High

Chronic Illness

0.0

0.2

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0.6

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1.0

Pro

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Rating of overall physical healthPoor

Fair

Good

Excellent

Source: ESAW data

Community based sample (n=1847 from England, Scotland & Wales aged 50+)

Psychological ResilienceDo psychological resources operate as explanatory

mechanisms?

• Resilience – the ability to recover from or adjust to misfortune or change

• Personality/psychological resources that enable positive functioning

• Resilient individuals have been found to possess a range of inner psychological attributes – indicators of resilience

• Other research that has examined the role of resources such as mastery, self esteem, optimism, has conceptualised these as the basis of reserve capacity that provides a resilient basis in older age (Gallo, Bogart, Vranceanu & Mathews, 2005).

Psychological Resilience• Within personality research such constructs are often examined in isolation, and little

attention has been given to the possibility that they might share a common basis (Judge, Erez, Thoresen & Bono, 2002).

• X2= 346.29, p<0.01• RMSEA =.04• CFI = .97• SRMR=.04• α = .83 Windle, G., Markland, D. A., & Woods, B. (2008). Examination of a theoretical model of psychological resilience in older age. Aging & Mental Health 12(3), 285-292.

Psychological Resilience

Self Esteem

Competence

Interpersonal Control

Psychological resilience and the well-being paradox

Low (-1SD) High (+1SD)

Chronic Illness

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5

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15

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25

Life

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ResilienceLow (- 1SD)

High (+1SD)

Interaction between chronic illness and resilience age 60-69

Source: Windle, G., Woods, B., & Markland, D.A. (In Press) Living with ill-health in olderage: the role of a resilient personality. Journal of Happiness Studies.

Low High

Material Resources

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5

10

15

20

25

Life

Sat

isfa

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ResilienceLow

High

Interaction between material resources and resilience age 50-59

Source: Windle, G. (2006). PhD Thesis.

Limitations

• Data is cross sectional

• Constraints of secondary data analysis

• Theoretically plausible, but represents just one of many approaches to resilience in older age

• Older people with cognitive impairment/dementia not included

Planned ResearchMaintaining Function and Well-Being: A Longitudinal

Cohort Study (ESRC, £3.9m)

• How do the characteristics of the resilient differ from the non-resilient?

• What is the influence of cognitive impairment on the relationship of resilience and well-being?

• Does resilience at the initial assessment predict later adaptation regardless of the presence of cognitive impairment?

• Do earlier life experiences impact on the development of resilience?