Abstract
BackgroundEmerging systemic approaches on resilience propose that a person’s or group’s adaptability to significant stress relies on a network of interdependent resources. However, little knowledge exists on systemic resilience in older survivors of early-life adversity (ELA) and how ELA affects their resource network in later life.ObjectiveThis study investigated how ELA may be linked to the interplay of resources and stress-related risk factors in later life.Research Design and MethodsData from N = 235 older adults (Mage = 70.43 years; 46.40% female) were assessed. Half the participants were affected by ELA through compulsory social measures and placements in childhood, and/or adolescence (“risk group”). The other half were age-matched, non-affected participants (“control group”). Using psychometric instruments, a set of resilience-supporting resources in later life and current stress indices were assessed. Regularized partial correlation networks examined the interplay of resources in both groups, whilst also considering the impact of stress.ResultsBoth groups demonstrated only positive resource interrelations. Although the control group showed more possible resource connections, the groups did not significantly differ in the overall strength of connections. While group-specific resource interrelations were identified, self-esteem was observed to be the most important resource for the network interconnectedness of both groups. The risk group network showed a higher vulnerability to current stress.Discussion and ImplicationsNetwork analysis is a useful approach in the examination of the complex interrelationships between resilience resources and stress-related risk factors in older adulthood.
Highlights
While resilience research experienced an exponential growth in the last three decades, a consensus has yet to be achieved regarding how to define, conceptualize, or quantify the psychological construct of resilience (Southwick et al, 2014; Snijders et al, 2018)
This study investigated how early-life adversity (ELA) may be linked to the interplay of resources and stress-related risk factors in later life
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was the first study to apply network analysis to explore the interplay of resilience and risk factors in two age-matched, older samples with differing backgrounds in ELA
Summary
While resilience research experienced an exponential growth in the last three decades, a consensus has yet to be achieved regarding how to define, conceptualize, or quantify the psychological construct of resilience (Southwick et al, 2014; Snijders et al, 2018). Significant research interest has been placed on the identification of protective and promotive processes, and factors that underpin an individual’s resilience, such as individual characteristics, assets, and resources (Ungar, 2019). The inclusion of a social-ecological perspective (Ungar, 2011) has broadened the scope of resilience research to the prediction of positive outcomes after exceptional stress, facilitated by a diverse set of individual (e.g., coping skills) and external (e.g., social support) psychosocial resilience factors and processes (Iacoviello and Charney, 2014; Liu et al, 2017; Snijders et al, 2018). Little knowledge exists on systemic resilience in older survivors of early-life adversity (ELA) and how ELA affects their resource network in later life
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