Resilience Theory Research Articles

Strengths-Based Models of Resilience in Tertiary Education Students

Tertiary education students experience higher levels of distress than the general public and their age-matched peers. Preventive health programs targeting tertiary education students are needed to combat high levels of distress in this population. This article investigates strengths-based theories of resilience which state that improvements in coping with stress also improve resilience. It utilized hierarchical regression to determine the amount of variance in mental health and resilience outcomes associated with the stress management resources, namely paying attention to the present moment (mindfulness) and engaging in personally meaningful activities (engagement), in a sample of 1,072 Australian tertiary education students. The results found that mindfulness and engagement are negatively associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety and positively associated with psychological well-being and resilience in tertiary education students. We also found that the amount of variance in mental health outcomes associated with engagement and mindfulness is additive. When a second stress management resource was added to the modeling, the amount of variance in the measured mental health outcomes explained by the coping resources increased. These findings help to provide a conceptual framework that can be used to design resilience training programs in tertiary education students to address the high levels of mental health disorder in this population.

State intervention and tourism business resilience: Exploring firm-level crisis responses

Business resilience and government intervention are critical in navigating crises. Guided by resilience theory and concepts of state intervention in global crises, this article examines firm-level strategies to the Covid-19 pandemic. The qualitative findings decipher adaptive resilience and business survival strategies concerning cashflow management, human resource management, management of current liabilities, asset management, and alternative business avenues. Government intervention included financial assistance, wage subsidy, loan moratorium, and other stimulus measures. Findings reveal mixed responses, highlighting the need for tailored and effective government intervention. The study extends resilience theory by integrating state intervention as an external driver of adaptive resilience, thereby providing a holistic understanding of resilience in crises. Practical implications provide policy-makers with insights on more effective crisis response strategies.

The cycle of violence: effects of violence experience, behavior, and attitudes on adolescents’ peer rejection networks

Previous research on adolescent peer networks has mainly focused on friendship networks and their association with violence, but very limited research is available on peer rejection networks. This lack of knowledge hinders the effectiveness of preventing peer rejection and its negative effects. Based on the theory of the cycle of violence, the present study examines the extent to which parental physical abuse experiences, aggressive behavior toward peers and acceptance of violence are related to peer rejection networks at school. Social network analysis with a stochastic actor-oriented model of longitudinal data collected from high school students (Wave 1, n = 620; Wave 2, n = 590) confirms that adolescents who frequently use aggression toward their peers are more likely to be rejected, especially if those adolescents have experienced abuse. Similarly, peers are more likely to reject adolescents with high levels of accepting violence. The results also show that aggression toward peers generally tends to decrease over time but not for adolescents who reject a larger number of students. For students who reject many peers, aggression frequency increases. From the perspective of resilience theory, peer rejection, when combined with aggression toward peers and acceptance of violence, particularly in female adolescents, creates a significant risk factor for socio-emotional development. Therefore, tackling violence attitudes, experiences and behavior in the school environment and at home is crucial in overcoming the cycle of violence.

Framework for process risk analysis of maritime accidents based on resilience theory: A case study of grounding accidents in Arctic waters

The complexity and non-linear interactions involved in maritime accidents make it challenging to apply traditional models of risk analysis to them. Resilience is adopting a perspective focuses on holistic aspects of safety across the pre-accident, mid-accident, and post-accident phases. This paper proposes a framework for process risk analysis of maritime accidents based on resilience theory by applying the function resonance analysis method (FRAM). We first identify a three-layer maritime accident based on maritime accident investigation reports and then analyze the potential variability of all relevant functions. Subsequently, a FRAM model is constructed to analyze the accident's functional resonance of accidents by aggregating variations in the functions. Finally, we apply Monte Carlo simulations to compute the values of coupling of all interconnected functions. The ship grounding accidents in Arctic waters is chosen as the case to demonstrate the proposed framework. The relationships of influence between the functions were analyzed to obtain critical coupling pathways of coupling between them, and a time-weighted PageRank algorithm was used to identify key functions. The results show that the proposed approach can reveal vulnerabilities and instabilities in the system, and enables the proposal of targeted, long-term measures of risk control to enhance its resilience and safety.

Acknowledging dementia as an actor in the relationship: A facilitating mechanism promoting dementia family caregiver resilience

Despite the incredible challenges of caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia, many dementia family caregivers exhibit resilience. Framed by the communication theory of resilience, this study examines how resilience processes unfold within dementia caregivers’ relationships with their family member, and dementia caregivers’ experiences of resilience. Analysis of 27 interviews with adult children and spousal caregivers revealed acknowledging dementia as an actor in the relationship as a central facilitating mechanism that enabled caregivers to enact other communicative resilience processes within their relationship. Resilience processes were enacted through shifting blame to dementia, accommodating dementia, and relying on memories. Caregivers experienced resilience through personal growth, enhanced relational closeness, and ambivalent resilience. We discuss implications for dementia caregiver resilience and forward facilitating mechanisms as an extension of communication resilience theorizing.

“She takes rest as seriously as working:” Communicative resilience and professional caregivers’ meanings of rest

ABSTRACT Are resilient employees so tough that they neglect to rest? To answer this question, eleven extraordinarily resilient professional caregivers (positive deviants [PD]) were interviewed about their meanings and practices of rest. Additionally, five professionals who scored extremely low in resilience and four who were average were also interviewed. Analysis of interviews revealed that PD caregivers held multifaceted interpretive schema of rest. Namely, they embraced bounded physicality, the limited ability to engage in space and time. In turn, they viewed rest as a (a) strategic defense and (b) normal indispensable joy, and practiced rest through (c) multimodal care. Thus, findings implied that resilient employees make rest a priority. The paper contributes to the communicative theory of resilience and the meanings of work literatures.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Resilience for Qinling Tunnel Group Operation Safety System Based on Combined Weighting and Cloud Model

An extensive network of tunnels has recently been constructed in the Qinling Mountains. Characterized by high and steep terrain, this network has led to frequent traffic accidents. To address this issue, this paper introduces the theory of resilience into the evaluation system of safety systems during the operation period of highway tunnel groups. Based on this, this paper establishes a resilience evaluation index system for the operation safety system of highway tunnel groups, including a human system, vehicle system, and road system. To address both qualitative and quantitative issues concerning the indicators, this paper employs the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy weight method to combine and assign weights to the resilience evaluation indicators. Subsequently, the cloud model method is utilized to quantify the level of resilience of the highway tunnel group safety system during the operation period. The study results unveiled the patterns of traffic accidents within the Qinling Tunnel Group from the perspectives of vehicle, road, and human factors. The final weight allocation reveals that the road system has the highest proportion, exerting the greatest influence as a primary level index. Moreover, by taking the Qinling Tunnel Group on the Xihan Expressway as an engineering example, the resilience level of the case project was analyzed and obtained. Proposals for enhancing resilience were put forth, taking into account the project’s unique attributes, encompassing adaptability, resistance, and recovery. Overall, this study validates the feasibility and reliability of the proposed method for assessing the resilience of highway networks, offering empirical support for transportation administrators in the implementation of resilience-enhancing strategies.

Machine Learning-Based Resilience Modeling and Assessment of High Consequence Systems Under Uncertainty

Abstract This study proposes a theoretical model and assessment method for the resilience of High Consequence System (HCS), addressing the risk assessment and decision-making needs in critical system engineering activities. By analyzing various resilience theories in different domains and considering the characteristics of risk decision-making for HCS, a comprehensive theoretical model for the resilience of HCS is developed. This model considers the operational capability under normal environment (consisting of reliability and maintainability) and the safety capability under abnormal environment (consisting of resistance and emergence response ability). A case study is conducted on a spent fuel transportation packaging system, where the sealing performance after sealing ring aging is regarded as the reliability of the system and calculated using reliability methods, and impact resistance after impact is regard as resistance the impact safety of the packaging system is assessed using finite element analysis and surrogate modelling methods. The surrogate model fits the deformation output results of finite elements. Maintainability and emergency response ability are also essential elements of the resilience model for HCS facing exceptional events. The resilience variation of the spent fuel transportation packaging system is computed under the uncertainty of yielding stress of buffer material. The resilience of the packaging system is evaluated for different buffer thicknesses. The system's resilience decreases with higher uncertainty in the yielding stress of the buffer material, while it increases with thicker buffer materials. The improvement of emergency rescue ability will also lead to the improvement of system resilience.

Influence of Climate Change Adaptation Policies on Sheep Farming Viability in Australia

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of climate change adaptation policies on sheep farming viability in Australia. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Climate change adaptation policies in Australia have significantly influenced the viability of sheep farming in recent years. Research indicates that the implementation of targeted adaptation measures, such as improved pasture management and water conservation strategies, has helped mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change on sheep farming viability. Studies have shown that farms adopting these policies have experienced higher survival rates of livestock and increased profitability compared to those without such measures. Additionally, government support programs aimed at assisting sheep farmers in implementing climate adaptation strategies have been instrumental in enhancing the resilience of the sector. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Adaptation theory in environmental economics, resilience theory & theory of planned behavior (TPB) may be used to anchor future studies on analyze the impact of climate change on wheat yields in Australia. The enhancement of breeding programs focuses on practical genetic advancements to create drought and heat-resistant sheep varieties, addressing direct climate impacts on livestock. By advocating for government and industry funding for genetic research, the recommendations influence policy towards investing in long-term solutions for climate resilience.

Effects of Grazing Regulations on Pasture Health in New Zealand

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the effects of grazing regulations on pasture health in New Zealand. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Grazing regulations in New Zealand have both positive and negative effects on pasture health. While well-managed regulations can enhance grass growth and prevent overgrazing, stringent rules may lead to underutilization and reduced biodiversity. Effective enforcement and farmer compliance are crucial for maximizing the benefits of grazing regulations, highlighting the need for a balanced approach that considers ecological sustainability and livestock management needs. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Environmental determinism, resource dependence theory & ecological modernization theory may be used to anchor future studies on analyze the effects of grazing regulations on pasture health in New Zealand. Tragedy of the commons, ecological resilience theory & adaptive management theory

Engaged interorganizational networks and resilience in the humanitarian sector

Abstract This study extends the communication theory of resilience (CTR) by examining social networks that facilitate resilience for refugee-oriented humanitarian organizations (ROHOs). This study draws on a network survey and interviews from ROHOs in the United States and South Korea during the height of coronavirus disease 2019. Results illuminate how refugees, generally seen as the subject of concern, become engaged in networks with organizations to facilitate organizational resilience. A close inspection of the nature of interorganizational relationships revealed that resilience was a function of ties that involved engaged communication and not simply transactional relationships. This article shows how organizational resilience is facilitated when the people are engaged as part of organizational networks: networks cutting across systems to organizations to the vulnerable constituents, themselves. The study advances prior research on organizational resilience by specifying what it means to leverage social networks for organizational stability, which has direct implications for the policy and organizational systems.

Decrypting resilience: The spatiotemporal evolution and driving factors of ecological resilience in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration

Can a system be reconstructed for greater resilience to complex disturbances? We provide answers to this question by demystifying ecological resilience (ER). We innovatively constructed a “resistant, absorptive, and restorative capacity” framework based on evolutionary resilience theory, the Dagum Gini coefficient, and the panel Tobit model to systematically determine what ER is and how to enhance it. The results indicate that during 2005–2021, minimal longitudinal changes with significant horizontal variations occurred in the ER of the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRDUA). ER showed an “east strong, west weak” pattern, with average values from 0.124 to 0.665. The ER of Southern Jiangsu ranked high, while that of the seven cities in Anhui ranked low. The inequity of ER showed an initial increase followed by a fluctuating decreasing trend; the overall average Gini coefficient was 0.262. The intra-regional differences showed Zhejiang > Jiangsu > Anhui, with a contribution rate of 55.46%. Green patents and the proportion of cultivated land were the most significant positive and negative driving forces for ER, respectively. Additionally, when these factors worked together, they increased the explanatory power of ER, primarily via nonlinear enhancement. Urbanization rate and green patents enhanced the joint action of driving forces. The contribution of our study is to compensate for the lack of theoretical traceability in previous studies and provide an inspiring analytical framework for ER.

Theoretical perspectives on cybersecurity challenges in critical water infrastructure: Insights from Africa and the United States

This review paper examines the theoretical perspectives on cybersecurity challenges facing critical water infrastructure, with a focus on comparative insights from Africa and the United States. By exploring foundational theories of risk management, resilience, and deterrence, the paper delineates how these concepts are applied and adapted to address the cybersecurity needs of critical water systems within the distinct contexts of the two regions. The analysis identifies common challenges such as malware attacks, system vulnerabilities, human factors, and how regional differences influence technological infrastructure, regulatory environments, and cyber threat landscapes. Through a comparative analysis, the paper highlights lessons learned and best practices from both regions, emphasizing the importance of capacity building, comprehensive risk management, and the role of public-private partnerships. The paper concludes with a call for future research to develop adaptable theoretical models that address different regions' unique cybersecurity challenges, underlining theoretical understanding's critical role in enhancing the global resilience of critical water infrastructure against cyber threats.

Study on Resilience Governance Ability of Urban Communities Under the Interplay of "Pressure-structure-process-capacity"

In the era of VUCA, emergencies and public crises in the process of urban governance under the perspective of complex systems are constantly impacting the safety, stability and order of urban operation. As the nerve endings of the urban governance system, communities are the front line of guarding urban security, and it is urgent to pay attention to the theoretical and practical exploration of community resilience governance. This paper analyses the influencing factors of community resilience based on the practice samples of epidemic prevention and control in 23 communities in S city, using the grounded theory. Based on the theoretical framework of community resilience governance of "pressure-structure-process-capability", it is extracted that the community, under the role of "pressure brought by the epidemic", can be adjusted through the "structural adjustment of the governing body" and "whole process of governance", which are the most important factors of community resilience governance. It is extracted that the community can generate "community resilience capacity" under the pressure of "epidemic" through the "adjustment of the structure of governance body" and the "construction of the whole process of governance chain". On the one hand, this study is dedicated to the localisation of the integration of community resilience theory, and on the other hand, it contributes to the modernisation of community safety governance practices and capacity building.

An 8-week community-based resilience group intervention for Chinese parents who lost their only child: A two-armed pragmatic waitlist-control trial.

This study developed and evaluated a structured, 8-week community-based resilience group intervention for Chinese parents who have lost their only child and exhibit extended bereavement and suboptimal levels of resilience. Eighty parents were recruited from two communities and allocated to the intervention group (n = 42) or the waitlist-control group (n = 38). The 8-week community-based resilience group intervention was developed based on Kumpfer's resilience theory and previous studies. The primary outcomes were resilience and depression, and the secondary outcomes were posttraumatic growth (PTG), subjective well-being (SWB), social avoidance (SAD), sleep quality, and serum dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels. Outcomes were assessed at four time points: before (T0), immediately after (T1), 3 months after (T2), and 12 months after (T3) the intervention. The data were analyzed following the intention-to-treat principle. The general linear model results indicated a significant Group × Time interaction effect on resilience, depression, PTG, SWB, and SAD, with medium and large effect sizes (Cohen's d: 0.58-1.41). Those in the intervention group experienced better resilience from T1 to T2 and better depression, PTG, SWB, and SAD from T1 to T3 compared to the waitlist-control group. No significant differences were found between groups over time for sleep quality and DHEA levels. This intervention effectively increased resilience by T2 and improved PTG, SWB, depression, and SAD by T3 compared with control group, which can be implemented in the local community setting and collaborated with social workers to assist bereaved parents in the future. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Friluftsliv in residential youth care: a resilience perspective on character-forming outdoor experiences

ABSTRACT We explore care workers’ descriptions of friluftsliv (outdoor life) in Norwegian residential care homes in the context of child and youth care. Tracing a brief history of friluftsliv in Norway, we describe how it is appreciated for its health benefits and character-forming qualities. We also touch upon barriers to friluftsliv, which largely follow socioeconomic patterns, and situate friluftsliv in a broader international context of outdoor approaches. The data consists of nine semi-structured interviews describing care workers` experiences with friluftsliv at residential care. Using thematic analysis based on descriptive phenomenology, we generated two themes that depict what care-workers describe as character forming qualities of friluftsliv that are relevant for the adolescents: ‘coping with challenges’ and ‘becoming familiar with culturally valued pursuits.’ We use resilience theory as a framework to examine these qualities of friluftsliv.

Temporal dynamics of public transportation ridership in Seoul before, during, and after COVID-19 from urban resilience perspective

We delve into the temporal dynamics of public transportation (PT) ridership in Seoul, South Korea, navigating the periods before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic through a spatial difference-in-difference model (SDID). Rooted in urban resilience theory, the study employs micro-level public transportation card data spanning January 2019 to December 2023. Major findings indicate a substantial ridership decline during the severe COVID impact phase, followed by a period in the stable and post-COVID phases. Specifically, compared to the pre-COVID phase, PT ridership experienced a 32.1% decrease in Severe, followed by a reduced magnitude of 21.8% in Stable and 13.5% in post-COVID phase. Interestingly, the observed decrease implies a certain level of adaptability, preventing a complete collapse. Also, contrasting with findings in previous literature, our study reveals a less severe impact, with reductions ranging from 27.0 to 34.9%. Moreover, while the ridership in the post-COVID phase exhibits recovery, the ratio (Post/Pre) staying below 1.0 suggests that the system has not fully returned to its pre-pandemic state. This study contributes to the urban resilience discourse, illustrating how PT system adjusts to COVID, offering insights for transportation planning.

From conceptualization to practice: enhancing economic resilience at the local government level in Australia

ABSTRACT Seven principles of resilience developed by Stockholm Resilience Centre were adopted as a central framework from which practical objectives were identified to support local government organizations, and small local businesses to enhance their level of resilience to natural disasters. Discussions and interviews with local government executives from four coastal, local governments in Australia were undertaken to refine each economic development objectives to ensure utility and relevance. The final suite of practical objectives aims to respond to socio-ecological system features such as slow and fast variables, feedbacks and thresholds that create climate risks for businesses, and consider the sector and individual businesses’ learning capacity, participation and self-organization. We consider that these important objectives provide a pathway that enable small businesses, central to the local economic sector to self-assess their risks, and develop longer term adaptive and transformative strategies beyond preparedness and recovery. The significance of this research is in its ability to translate and anchor conceptual understandings of socio-ecological systems and resilience theory into a set of practical and useful objectives for local governments and small businesses to combat their vulnerability to natural disasters.

Toward a critical theory of social-ecological resilience: Maize and cattle in Southern Province, Zambia.

Climate change threatens the lives and livelihoods of smallholder farmers throughout the global South. In order to address the challenges these farmers face, researchers and practitioners need reasonable theoretical models of how humans and the environment interact within social-ecological systems (SES). Social-ecological resilience theory has proved to be a popular model for understanding human environment relationships within SES; however, the theory lacks a sophisticated understanding of power, relying instead on outdated functionalist sociological approaches. We reconstruct social-ecological resilience theory through a case study of smallholder climate change adaptation in Southern Province, Zambia. Farmers in the region focus on cattle and maize production. Though the changing environment would seem to favor different crops and livestock, institutional (power) dynamics determine whether or not individuals have the capacity (or desire) to adapt. Our critical reconstruction provides researchers and practitioners with an improved social-ecological lens for understanding the causes and consequences of vulnerability and adaptation.

Survival strategies of undocumented migrants Post-COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa

The COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa has negatively affected the lives of many individuals and families. Undocumented migrants were not an exception to this challenge. Despite encountering a number of challenges such as unemployment and being excluded from the welfare services of the country, undocumented migrants also battled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which forced them to develop survival strategies. It is from this background that this, study sought to explore the survival strategies of undocumented migrants post-COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa. The study used a qualitative approach wherein Musina was used as a case study. Ten migrant youth were purposively and conveniently selected to participate in this study. Data was collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically through Thematic Content Analysis (TCA). Resilience theory was used to guide this study. Findings, conclusions and recommendations are provided in this paper.