Abstract
Resilience may be defined as the ability to recover and adapt to adverse situations. Given that resilience involves cognitive and behavioral aspects, it could be promoted based on strategies that favor them, especially during childhood and adolescence. As a result, several resilience-focused programs have been developed and studied. This systematic review of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) aimed to assess resilience-focused programs for children (<12 years old) and adolescents (12–22 years old) compared to active (treatment as usual, other program modalities, and educational curriculum at school) or inactive (waiting list, no treatment) control groups. We performed a systematic review of meta-analyses of RCTs. The following databases were searched: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO. Two authors independently selected the studies, extracted the data, and assessed the studies’ risk of bias. Meta-analyses of random effects were conducted to calculate the standard mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of program effectiveness. Of the 17 RCTs that met the inclusion criteria, 13 provided sufficient data to assess the effectiveness of the programs after their implementation. Meta-analyses indicated overall effectiveness of the programs in promoting resilience (SMD = 0.48, 95% CI [0.15, 0.81], p = 0.0077). The subgroup analysis indicated effectiveness only among adolescents’ resilience (SMD = 0.48, 95% CI [0.08, 0.88], p = 0.02). The follow-up analysis also indicated evidence of continuation of results within a period of up to 6 months up (SMD = 0.12, 95% CI [−0.44, 0.69], p = 0.02). These results indicated the effectiveness of promoting resilience, especially in adolescents, and its continuation in follow-up analyses. These findings are promising in the field of resilience programs; however, further studies are necessary to analyze the different possible characteristics of programs and their results.Clinical Trial Registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020179874], [CRD42020179874].
Highlights
In a constant changing world where people need to adapt and deal with new challenges daily, resilience is extremely important, as resilient individuals adapt better to life challenges and have higher levels of functionality and quality of life (Leppin et al, 2014)
After screening the titles and abstracts, 302 studies were selected as potentially eligible and had their full text accessed for the final inclusion decision
Of the 17 studies included in this review, four did not provide the necessary statistical data for their inclusion in the metaanalysis (Anticich et al, 2013; Leventhal et al, 2015; Li et al, 2017; Adibsereshki et al, 2019)
Summary
In a constant changing world where people need to adapt and deal with new challenges daily, resilience is extremely important, as resilient individuals adapt better to life challenges and have higher levels of functionality and quality of life (Leppin et al, 2014). The American Psychological Association (APA) defines resilience as the ability to recover and adapt to situations of adversity, trauma, threats, or sources of stress. Does not necessarily mean that individuals will not experience difficulties or discomfort when exposed to such situations [American Psychological Association (APA), 2020]. Resilience was initially seen as a fixed trait, it is currently considered a dynamic process that can be modified throughout life (Chmitorz et al, 2018; Masten, 2018). This perspective involves cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral aspects that can be learned. Resilience capacity can be enhanced based on strategies that develop these aspects [American Psychological Association (APA), 2020]
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