Relative Resilience Research Articles

Using valve gape analysis to compare sensitivity of native Mytilus edulis to invasive Magallana gigas when exposed to heavy metal contamination

Coastal ecosystems are ecologically and economically important but are under increasing pressure from numerous anthropogenic sources of stress. Both heavy metal pollution and invasive species pose major environmental concerns that can have significant impacts on marine organisms. It is likely that many stresses will occur simultaneously, resulting in potential cumulative ecological effects. The aim of this study was to compare the relative resilience of an invasive oyster Magallana gigas and a native mussel Mytilus edulis to heavy metal pollution, utilising their valve gape response as an indicator. The gape activity of bivalves has been utilised to monitor a range of potential impacts, including for example oil spills, increased turbidity, eutrophication, heavy metal contamination etc. In this study, Hall effect sensors were used on both the native blue mussel (M. edulis) and the pacific oyster (M. gigas), invasive to Ireland. Mussels were shown to be more responsive to pollution events than oysters, where all heavy metals tested (copper, cadmium, zinc, lead) had an effect on transition frequency though significant differences were only observed for lead and cadmium (Control; > Copper, p = 0.0003; >lead, p = 0.0002; >Cadmium, p = 0.0001). Cadmium had an apparent effect on mussels with specimens from this treatment remaining closed for an average of 45.3% of the time. Similarly, significant effects on the duration of time mussels spent fully open was observed when treated with lead and cadmium (Control; > lead, p = 0.03, > cadmium, p = 0.02). In contrast, oysters displayed no significant difference for any treatment for number of gapes, or duration spent open or closed. Though there was an effect of both zinc and copper on the amount of time spent closed, with averages of 63.2 and 68.7% respectively. This indicates oysters may be potentially more resilient to such pollution events; further boosting their competitive advantage. Future mesocosm or field studies are required to quantify this relative resilience.

NASA resilience and leadership: examining the phenomenon of awe.

This study examines how a phenomenon, awe, along with related resilience practices, is perceived by a NASA medical and mental health professional, who also serves in a leadership role, and how awe has impacted their work and personal life. Considering both their leadership role and how their work involves supporting the wellbeing of astronauts pre-mission, during missions, and post-mission, the potential impact of awe on the NASA expert has individual implications along with many others, especially in stressful environments. The results indicate that reflecting on awe experiences can support a person finding meaning and purpose in their life, evoke gratitude, increase social connectedness, promote optimism and other resilience skills in the moment, and generally have a sustainable positive effect.

Different levels of cognitive reserve among typical and limbic‐predominant hypometabolic subtypes of Alzheimer’s Disease

AbstractBackgroundResidual approaches for estimating cognitive reserve (CR) are assumed to reflect relative resilience of individuals to neuropathological change in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the present study, we characterized differences in CR in people expressing distinct hypometabolic subtypes of AD‐related neurodegeneration.MethodWe analyzed MRI, FDG‐PET and cognitive performance data of Aβ‐positive participants from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort, including 58 cognitively normal (CN), 217 prodromal AD and 177 AD dementia participants. Participants’ FDG‐PET scans were classified into the two principal hypometabolic subtypes of AD – typical and limbic‐predominant – as determined previously by a data‐driven clustering analysis. W‐scores were calculated as standardized residuals from a regression model with temporoparietal gray matter (GM) volume adjusted to total intracranial volume (TIV) as the dependent variable and with memory and executive function composite scores, as well as covariates age, gender, TIV and dementia status as independent variables (Fig. 1). The scores were multiplied by “‐1” so that higher values indicated lower than expected temporoparietal GM volume at a given level of cognitive performance and therefore represented higher CR. We evaluated the effects of W‐scores on the risk of clinical progression and longitudinal cognitive decline while including temporoparietal GM as a covariate. We then compared the W‐scores between the two hypometabolic subtypes of AD.ResultHigher W‐scores, indicating higher CR, predicted a lower risk of prodromal AD participants for the progression to AD dementia (hazards ratio = 0.32, 95%CI = [0.19;0.52]). W‐scores were also associated with a slower longitudinal cognitive decline for memory (β = 0.11,p<0.01) and language performance (β = 0.12,p = 0.017) in the subsample of CN and prodromal AD (Fig. 2). The typical hypometabolic subtype showed on average higher W‐scores than the limbic‐predominant subtype in prodromal AD and AD dementia groups.ConclusionConsistent with previous research, CR as assessed by W‐scores was predictive of a lower risk of clinical progression and slower longitudinal cognitive decline. The typical subtype demonstrated higher W‐scores, which suggests a stronger resilience to the impact of neuropathological change on cognition. Future analysis will investigate longitudinal changes in W‐scores and factors contributing to the observed differences, as well as potential explanations for subtype differences.

COVID-19 pandemic and hotel property performance

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to test the local impact of COVID-19 pandemic on hotel performance at the individual property level, and further examine the roles of hotel attributes and business mix in potentially moderating or intensifying the impact of a crisis.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 5,090 hotel properties in Texas, USA from January 2020 to December 2021, this study estimates a monthly hotel performance model to evaluate how the pandemic affected hotels’ operational performance based on revenue per available room.FindingsResults show that a 10% increase in the monthly number of confirmed COVID-19 cases led to a 0.522% decrease in hotel performance. Also, a series of moderators were identified within the pandemic–performance relationship: the negative impact of the pandemic was more severe among higher-end hotels and newer hotels; urbanization and localization diseconomies prevailed during the pandemic; and there was a smaller negative effect of COVID-19 on high rated hotels in the category of economy hotels.Originality/valueThe moderators highlighted in this paper shed light on the heterogeneity of COVID-19’s effects on hotel operations. Findings enrich the hospitality literature by considering business resilience in relation to the pandemic.

Counseling With Male Clients: The Case for Relational Resilience Approach.

Although there is no lack of research on masculinity and help-seeking behavior, men continue to seek counseling less often than women. It is crucial we find effective therapeutic approaches to connect and meet men where they are, acknowledging the positive aspects of their masculinity while addressing their needs in the counseling setting. In this conceptual research article, we propose a new approach for counselors to utilize with men seeking counseling, the Relational Resilience Approach, which applies tenets of Relational-Cultural Theory, Positive Psychology, and Shame Resilience Theory.

Relational Resilience in The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After and Call Me American: A Memoir

Resilient autobiography emphasizes the relational aspect of life writing, drawing on human relationships that have added to the adversity in life recounted, but also builds on human connections that have encouraged and enabled survival. This paper examines resilience in Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil’s The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After, which recounts Wamariya’s experiences of fleeing the Rwandan genocide. The other text considered is Abdi Nor Iftin and Max Alexander’s Call Me American: A Memoir, which depicts Iftin’s life in Somalia during the 1990s and relocation to Kenya and then the USA. The two autobiographical texts present resilience not only as survival but as embodied within the memoirs through the selves presented in the narratives. Resilience emerges as endurance in the face of hardship and suffering, and as a counterforce in various relational contexts, to traumatic personal and collective pasts. Both memoirs exemplify the devastating effects of war, displacement and personal loss, where trauma becomes entrenched in efforts made for survival. The attempt to reorder and repossess trauma can also be seen as an act of resilience. The personal narrative is interpreted and put into writing from the perspective of the person whose life is in focus but also through the eyes of an external observer. The life recounted can therefore be seen as both autobiographically and biographically produced.

“The People Who Leave Here Are Not the People Who Arrived.”: A Qualitative Analysis of the Therapeutic Process and Identity Transition in the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway

Individuals with personality disorder are often construed as difficult to treat, and sometimes even “untreatable.” In this study, 24 men who had completed treatment on the offender personality disorder treatment pathway participated in focus groups at a high-security prison in the United Kingdom. The results of the data analysis revealed three superordinate themes that captured the impact and experience of the therapeutic process. The three themes were “A self-reconstructed,” which focused on the reconstruing and reconstructions of participants’ identity and how intervention assisted with a coherent narrative of self. The second superordinate theme, “Relational resilience and dealing with abandonment,” relates to the attachment to therapists and the negotiation of relational boundaries and resilience. The third theme, “Reimagining and re-experiencing trauma,” focuses on participants’ exploration and reliving of trauma, and how group processes allowed for shared understanding and a reconstruing of their trauma. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

A comprehensive resilience assessment of Mexican tree species and their relationship with drought events over the last century.

The resilience of forests to drought events has become a major natural resource sustainability concern, especially in response to climate change. Yet, little is known about the legacy effects of repeated droughts, and tree species ability to respond across environmental gradients. In this study, we used a tree-ring database (121 sites) to evaluate the overall resilience of tree species to drought events in the last century. We investigated how climate and geography affected the response at the species level. We evaluated temporal trends of resilience using a predictive mixed linear modeling approach. We found that pointer years (e.g., tree growth reduction) occurred during 11.3% of the 20th century, with an average decrease in tree growth of 66% compared to the previous period. The occurrence of pointer years was associated with negative values of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI, 81.6%) and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI, 77.3%). Tree species differed in their resilience capacity, however, species inhabiting xeric conditions were less resistant but with higher recovery rates (e.g., Abies concolor, Pinus lambertiana, and Pinus jeffreyi). On average, tree species needed 2.7 years to recover from drought events, with extreme cases requiring more than a decade to reach pre-drought tree growth rates. The main abiotic factor related to resilience was precipitation, confirming that some tree species are better adapted to resist the effects of droughts. We found a temporal variation for all tree resilience indices (scaled to 100), with a decreasing resistance (-0.56 by decade) and resilience (-0.22 by decade), but with a higher recovery (+1.72 by decade) and relative resilience rate (+0.33 by decade). Our results emphasize the importance of time series of forest resilience, particularly by distinguishing the species-level response in the context of legacy of droughts, which are likely to become more frequent and intense under a changing climate.

Between Development, Growth and Survival: Some Current Features of Iran’s Model of Socio-Economic Development

In recent years, conservative forces in Iran have lambasted their moderate and pragmatic rivals for their inability to solve the country’s economic issues and improve the living standards of its populace. However, since Ebrahim Raisi won the presidential election in 2021, Iranian conservatives have had their own chance to tackle the country’s internal challenges, being the last of the political forces without direct influence on the economic decision-making system for a long time. Nevertheless, their failed attempts to foster economic growth under sanctions pressure may prove critical to the Islamic Republic. Not only the conservative part of the establishment but the entire political system may risk losing what remains of its credibility with the Iranian people, who could perceive it as incapable of eff ectively managing the economy. Furthermore, the government’s success in resolving the current socio-economic development issues is also pivotal to the political future of E. Raisi. His failure would deprive him of any opportunity to claim the post of the next supreme leader of Iran. Meanwhile, the accumulated structural problems of the Iranian economy and the external sanctions pressure can render achieving economic progress a daunting, if not insurmountable, task. This paper seeks to elucidate why there is signifi cant social tension in Iran, resulting in periodic outbursts of protest, and why the economic situation is deemed a crisis, despite the relative resilience of the Iranian economy to external and internal challenges, as well as the macroeconomic performance dynamics, which are not necessarily inferior to those of Iran’s regional neighbors. To answer this question, the paper analyzes the main economic challenges facing the country’s leadership and the extent to which the goals and priorities of the implemented “resistance economy” doctrine provide an adequate response to them. As a theoretical tool, the author employs the ideas of M. Todaro, A. Sen, S. Smith, J. Foster, and C. Handy, justifying the need for any state to transcend the simple parameters of economic growth in formulating its development strategy and think more comprehensively, focusing primarily on creating a social and economic environment that is comfortable for its citizens. As a result, the author concludes that the model of the Iranian economy that has been formed in an aggressive environment prioritizes the survival of the existing political system, approaching the issue of economic growth as secondary and failing to satisfy some popular needs beyond the basic ones. It is incapable of ensuring comprehensive sustainable socio-economic development, which over time leads to the accumulation of internal tension in Iranian society.

Resilience, endogenous policy responses to COVID-19, and their impacts on farm performance

Policy measures aimed at containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic had unintended consequences on economic activities globally. In this study, we isolate and investigate the short-term partial impacts of six such measures on the farm and nonfarm incomes of agricultural households and examine the related resilience factors. Using Nigeria as a case study, we find that the COVID containment measures had mixed effects on farm and non-farm incomes in the short run. These varying effects are due to households’ resilience and vulnerability factors, including land size, wealth, income diversification, involvement in processing activities, and reliance on hired labor. Our findings highlight the need for more targeted health crisis containment measures which consider the uniqueness, diversity, and regional heterogeneity of agriculture, especially the potential implications for farm viability.

Relationship Among Happiness, Life Satisfaction and Resilience in University Students

The present study seeks to explain the interactive and relative effectsof happiness, life satisfaction and resilience among university students inPakistan. Basic objective of this research was to find out the relationshipbetween happiness, life satisfaction and resilience, further to investigatethe level of resilience, happiness and life satisfaction among male andfemale students. Disproportionate stratified sampling technique was usedto select 400 university students (male=200, female=200) from theuniversities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The study was conducted intwo phases. In phase-I pilot study was conducted and in phase-II mainstudy was administered. The data for the study was collected throughstratified random sampling technique and three reliable instrument usedwere; Oxford Happiness Scale (1990), Life satisfaction scale (1985) andResilience Scale (1993). Data was analyzed using statistical techniqueslike Pearson correlation; Independent sample t-test was used. Results ofthe study indicated a significant inverse relationship between thevariables of resilience and happiness (r=-.472**) where female studentswere happier than male students (M + SD= 109.8442 + 15.45855) and asignificant inverse relationship between life satisfaction and resilience(r=-.112*) among male and female university students. The results alsoindicated that females are more satisfied with life than males (M + SD=23.3810 + 5.64858). It was also found that there were significant genderdifferences in university student’s scores on resilience scale (M + SD=79.4201 + 26.55817). Males were found to be more resilient thanfemales. The findings of the present study have implications for students’counseling, awareness and therapy. It was recommended that the trainingof the students should also be done so that they deal with life events andcircumstances effectively while maintaining their psychological health.

Relationship Among Happiness, Life Satisfaction and Resilience in University Students

The present study seeks to explain the interactive and relative effectsof happiness, life satisfaction and resilience among university students inPakistan. Basic objective of this research was to find out the relationshipbetween happiness, life satisfaction and resilience, further to investigatethe level of resilience, happiness and life satisfaction among male andfemale students. Disproportionate stratified sampling technique was usedto select 400 university students (male=200, female=200) from theuniversities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The study was conducted intwo phases. In phase-I pilot study was conducted and in phase-II mainstudy was administered. The data for the study was collected throughstratified random sampling technique and three reliable instrument usedwere; Oxford Happiness Scale (1990), Life satisfaction scale (1985) andResilience Scale (1993). Data was analyzed using statistical techniqueslike Pearson correlation; Independent sample t-test was used. Results ofthe study indicated a significant inverse relationship between thevariables of resilience and happiness (r=-.472**) where female studentswere happier than male students (M + SD= 109.8442 + 15.45855) and asignificant inverse relationship between life satisfaction and resilience(r=-.112*) among male and female university students. The results alsoindicated that females are more satisfied with life than males (M + SD=23.3810 + 5.64858). It was also found that there were significant genderdifferences in university student’s scores on resilience scale (M + SD=79.4201 + 26.55817). Males were found to be more resilient thanfemales. The findings of the present study have implications for students’counseling, awareness and therapy. It was recommended that the trainingof the students should also be done so that they deal with life events andcircumstances effectively while maintaining their psychological health.

Law, justice and the role of courts in changing the social superstructure narrative in climate litigation

Law, justice and the role of courts in changing the social superstructure narrative in climate litigation

The COVID-19 pandemic as traumatic stressor: Distress in older adults is predicted by childhood trauma and mitigated by defensive functioning.

It has been broadly anticipated that COVID-19 pandemic-related experiences may constitute traumatic stressors, and that older adults' might be especially at risk of experiencing mental health symptoms during the pandemic. The present study aimed to examine older adults' psychological distress: posttraumatic stress, Covid-related fears, anxiety, and depression during the pandemic, and the relationship between present distress, defensive functioning, and childhood trauma. We also explored potential differences between older adults (between 65 and 74 years), and older-older adults (75 years and above). A large-scale online survey was conducted during the early months of the pandemic, for the present study, we included participants above 65 years old (N = 1,225) mainly from the United States and Canada. Results showed that age, adverse childhood experiences, and overall defensive functioning were significantly related to posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression. Specifically, younger age and more reported childhood adversity were related to higher distress, whereas the use of more adaptive defenses was related to less distress. Covid-related fears were not associated with age. Our final model showed that defensive functioning mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and distress. Our results support the relative resilience of older-older adults compared to older adults, as well as the long-lasting impact of childhood adversity through defensive functioning later in life, specifically in times of heightened stress, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies are warranted to identify further factors affecting defensive functioning as adults age, as well as processes that are associated with resilience in response to stressors in older adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Stock Vulnerability and Resilience

The authors propose a parsimonious yet flexible statistical method for predicting the relative vulnerability or resilience of individual stocks to market drawdowns. The authors’ approach compares a stock’s unique circumstances—as reflected in popular factor attributes—to the circumstances of stocks that have proven vulnerable or resilient to previous market drawdowns. Unlike other approaches, the authors’ method allows the influence of each factor attribute to vary across stocks in a nonlinear, conditional way. The authors test their explicit method for predicting stock vulnerability and resilience out of sample using the five largest market drawdowns since the global financial crisis. The nonlinear composite scores the authors derive are reliably better predictors of cross-sectional return than any of the individual factor attributes or an ex post linear combination of factor attributes.

Resilient phenotypes among bereaved youth: a comparison of trajectory, relative, and cross-domain approaches

BackgroundBereavement is a common traumatic event associated with adverse health outcomes across the life course. Despite these risks, not all bereaved individuals experience these negative effects. Limited scientific consensus exists on how to define resilience in individuals who have experienced the death of a loved one.MethodsUsing a sample of N = 3766 youth from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort, we identified bereavement of a family member between ages 7 and 8.5. We derived and compared three different approaches to assess resilience among bereaved youth. Trajectory-based psychological resilience identified sub-groups with similar psychological symptom profiles between ages 6 and 16 using latent growth mixture models. Relative psychological resilience at age 16 leveraged standardized residuals from a model regressing psychological symptoms on bereavement to determine better-than-expected psychological functioning relative to bereavement status. Relative cross-domain resilience around age 16 was a sum score of the residuals approach applied to eight unique domains of health. Predictive validity of each approach was assessed using depressive symptoms at age 17.5ResultsOverall, N = 877 (23%) youth were bereaved of a family member between ages 7 and 8.5. Using latent growth mixture models, a three-class solution described 84% of bereaved youth with low and stable psychological symptoms over time, 8% with worsening symptoms, and 8% with improving yet elevated symptoms. Each relative resilience score was largely concordant with the trajectory-based approach in identifying individuals as resilient or not, though relative psychological resilience demonstrated a stronger degree of concordance than the cross-domain score. Relative psychological and cross-domain resilience exhibited moderate to low correlation, depending on the domains included (r = 0.14–0.43). For each approach, resilience significantly predicted lower depressive symptoms at age 17.5, highlighting predictive validity of these measures.ConclusionsPsychological symptom trajectories among bereaved youth aligned with those previously identified among bereaved adults. The residual-based approach to defining resilience exhibited limited utility in the context of bereavement. When identifying risk and resilience after bereavement, researchers and clinicians must address the interplay across psychosocial and physical health domains, as bereaved youth considered resilient from a mental health perspective may benefit from intervention in other domains.

Can Unleveed Agricultural Fields in Deltas Keep Pace With Sea‐Level Rise?

AbstractEffective coastal management requires a fundamental understanding of the impacts of anthropogenic activities on sediment dynamics, yet it is challenging to isolate individual impacts in heavily altered regions. The Ayeyarwady Delta, Myanmar has been extensively deforested for agriculture but has few levees/polders. In this study, the relative resilience to subsidence was compared between a 45‐year‐old agricultural field and a nearby mangrove‐forest preserve. At both sites, water velocity and turbidity were measured in tidal channels, topography was mapped, and sediment cores were collected during 2018–2019. There was net sediment import at both sites due to sediment trapping by vegetation. Relative elevations were equivalent, suggesting that the field has aggraded at rates similar to the forest (0.7 cm/year). Unleveed fields may be less vulnerable to subsidence than leveed fields. However, uncertainties remain and the decision to replace mangroves with agricultural fields should weigh all the benefits provided by each environment.

Proposing and evaluating a model of depression, stress, resilience and spirituality in relation to pain in women with breast cancer: Investigating the mediating role of mindfulness

Pain experience is one of the most common symptoms of women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy. It may cause physical and psychological problems and interfere with the treatment process. This study aimed to examine the relationship between depression, stress, resilience and spirituality on the pain symptoms of breast cancer patients during chemotherapy and explore the potential mediating role of mindfulness in this association. Two hundred and forty women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy from Shiraz University Hospital, were selected and evaluated by a purposive sampling method. The research instruments were Perceived Stress Scale, Beck Depression Questionnaire-2, Mindfulness, Resilience, Spirituality and Pain Questionnaires. The obtained data was analyzed by SPSS software and MPLUS using Spearman correlation coefficient and path analysis. Based on the findings of direct path analysis, depression, stress, and spirituality showed a significant relationship with mindfulness, but resilience had no significant relationship with mindfulness (p<0.01). Furthermore, depression, stress, resilience, and mindfulness showed a significant relationship with pain, while spirituality had no significant relationship with pain (p<0.01). Finally, indirect path analysis revealed mindfulness is a significant mediator of stress and pain (p<0.05). The present study suggested a model can be useful in better understanding of the psychological components affecting pain in breast cancer patients, after and during their treatments. It also provided an effective framework to develop and investigate pain-focused and non-pharmacological interventions.

Hummingbird diversity in a fragmented tropical landscape in the Chocó biogeographic zone

AbstractForest loss and fragmentation drive widespread declines in biodiversity. However, hummingbirds seem to exhibit relative resilience to disturbance, characterized by increasing abundance alongside declining species richness and evenness. Yet, how widespread this pattern may be, and the mechanisms by which it may occur, remain unclear. To fill in this knowledge gap, we investigated habitat‐ and site‐level patterns of diversity, and community composition of hummingbirds between continuous forest (transects n = 16 in ~3500 ha) and more disturbed surrounding fragments (n = 39, 2.5–48.0 ha) in the Chocó rain forest of northwestern Ecuador. Next, we assessed within‐patch and patch‐matrix characteristics associated with hummingbird diversity and composition. We found higher hummingbird species richness in forest fragments relative to the continuous forest, driven by increased captures of rare species in fragments. Community composition also differed between continuous forest and fragments, with depressed evenness in fragments. Increased canopy openness and density of medium‐sized trees correlated with hummingbird diversity in forest fragments, although this relationship became nonsignificant after applying false discovery rate (p &lt; .01). Higher species richness in fragments and higher evenness in the continuous forest highlight the complex trade‐offs involved in the conservation of this ecologically important group of birds in changing Neotropical landscapes.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.

Developing Social Work Professional Identity Resilience: Seven Protective Factors

ABSTRACT The human service context is a complex space for social workers and service users, bringing both challenges and opportunities. The ability to navigate challenges is essential for social workers to appropriately support clients and maintain longevity in human service work. Practitioners are expected to possess resilience to mitigate these challenges. Social workers are familiar with the concept of resilience in relation to work with clients. However, it is important they develop their own resilience to withstand industry pressure and build professional identity resilience (PIR). In this article, we drew on an Australian grounded theory PhD study that explored the experience of professional identity development (PID) for newly graduated social workers, specifically the challenges they faced in relation to PID and the link between professional identity and resilience. PIR emerged as a key concept in the process of forming a social work professional identity and seven protective factors were identified that support the development of PIR. IMPLICATIONS Developing professional identity resilience can assist students and graduates to counter challenging experiences of being a social worker. Professional identity resilience plays an important role in the development and ongoing maintenance of professional identity and as such is essential knowledge for social work educators, professional associations, social work students and graduates.