Abstract
Research in the area of illicit substance use remains preoccupied with describing and analyzing the risks of people who use drugs (PWUD), however more recently there has been a drive to use a strengths-based or resilience approach as an alternative to investigating drug use. This leads us to ask: what can be known about PWUD from the point of view of resilience? The objective of this scoping review is to analyze how the concept of resilience is defined, operationalized, and applied in substance use research. Popular health, social science, psychology, and inter-disciplinary databases namely: SCOPUS, PUBMED, PsycINFO, and Sociological s were searched. Studies were selected if they used the concept of resilience and if substance use was a key variable under investigation. A total of 77 studies were identified which provided a definition of resilience, or attempted to operationalize (e.g., via scales) the concept of resilience in some manner. Data were charted and sorted using key terms and fundamental aspects of resilience. The majority of studies focus on youth and their resistance to, or engagement in, substance use. There is also a small but growing area of research that examines recovery from substance addiction as a form of resilience. Very few studies were found that thoroughly investigated resilience among PWUD. Consistently throughout the literature drug use is presented as a ‘risk factor’ jeopardizing one’s ability to be resilient, or drug use is seen as a ‘maladaptive coping strategy’, purporting one’s lack of resilience. Currently, substance use research provides a substantial amount of information about the internal strengths that can assist in resisting future drug use; however there is less information about the external resources that play a role, especially for adults. Though popular, outcome-based conceptualizations of resilience are often static, concealing the potential for developing resilience over time or as conditions change. Studies of resilience among PWUD predominantly concentrate on health-related behaviours, recovery-related factors or predefined harm reduction strategies. Indeed, overall, current conceptualizations of resilience are too narrow to recognize all the potential manifestations of resilience practices in the daily lives of individuals who actively use drugs.
Highlights
Research in the area of illicit substance use remains preoccupied with describing and analyzing the deficits, vulnerabilities, and pathologies of people who use drugs (PWUD)
Confusion in operationalization and lack of clarity around whether resilience is being treated as a trait, outcome or process as well as issues with inconsistent use of terminology have resulted in a field of study where it is difficult to compare, contrast, and build upon current research
Researchers who do not articulate what they mean by adversity, protective and risk factors, and positive outcomes further add to the semantic ambiguity
Summary
Research in the area of illicit substance use remains preoccupied with describing and analyzing the deficits, vulnerabilities, and pathologies of people who use drugs (PWUD). This approach is not surprising, since PWUD, like other marginalized groups (i.e., homeless persons, sex workers), are simultaneously constructed as ‘at risk’. Victimization, including physical/sexual assault, robbery, and theft, among individuals who use crack is higher than in the general public, and often elevated among other drug using groups [14,15,16,17]. Use of resilience terminology in social science research has boomed since the early 2000s [30]. Highlighting context is especially important for considering marginalized populations, and uncovering potentially hidden forms of resilience [33, 34]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
