Resilience and health outcomes in the elderly

Resilience or the ability of an individual to maintain competence and attain adaptation despite negative life circumstances was explored in relation to transitional change in old age. Participants in the study were 155 older adults (106 women, 49 men) aged between 65 and 93, with an average age of 74 years. Measures used included the Resilience Scale, the SF-36 Health Survey, the Self efficacy Scale, a Social Support measure and the Geriatric Coping Schedule. Women scored higher on resilience than men. There was no significant difference between the youngest old (65-70 years) and oldest old (86 to 93 years) in resilience scores. Resilience was significantly and positively correlated with self-efficacy. Interaction-term regression with the SF-36 physical and mental health components as dependent variables, found significant main effects of resilience rather than adversity buffering effects. Findings from MANOVA indicated that those low on the resilience scale perceived their health to be worse than those high on the construct, reported having less vitality and perceived their health to limit role performance. MANOVA also revealed that those with high resilience engaged in more coping strategies both problem-focused and emotion-focused. Findings from one-way ANOVA indicated that older persons high on resilience tended to receive more emotional support from their social network. The findings have implications for the development of intervention programmes designed to enhance resilience and promote successful ageing in the elderly.