Resilience Traits Research Articles

Fish species sensitivity classification for environmental impact assessment, conservation and restoration planning

Species conservation, river rehabilitation, stock enhancement, environmental impact assessment and related planning tools require indicators to identify significant impacts but also mitigation success. Since river systems are shaped by disturbances from floods and droughts, typical riverine fish species should have evolved life history traits providing resilience against such disturbances. This study compiled and analyzed resilience traits of European lampreys and fish species to derive a novel sensitivity classification of species to mortality. We assembled life history traits like maximum length, migration type, mortality, fecundity, age at maturity, and generation time of 168 species and created a novel method to weigh and integrate all traits to generate a final sensitivity score from one (low sensitivity) to three (high sensitivity) for each species. Large-bodied, diadromous, rheophilic and lithophilic species such as sturgeons, sea trout, and Atlantic salmon usually appeared to have high sensitivity to additional adult fish mortality, whereas small-bodied, limnophilic and phytophilic species with fast generation cycles were of low sensitivity. The final scoring and classification of 168 European lampreys and fish species according to their sensitivity can be easily regionalized by selecting the most sensitive candidates according to the local species pool. This sensitivity classification has major implications for advancing impact assessment, allowing better targeting of species for conservation measures, benchmarking progress during rehabilitation and enhancing the objective evaluation of the success of restoration projects.

Genetic analysis of novel phenotypes for farm animal resilience to weather variability

BackgroundClimate change is expected to have a negative impact on food availability. While most efforts have been directed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, complementary strategies are necessary to control the detrimental effects of climate change on farm animal performance. The objective of this study was to develop novel animal resilience phenotypes using reaction norm slopes, and examine their genetic and genomic parameters. A closely monitored dairy goat population was used for this purpose.ResultsIndividual animals differed in their response to changing atmospheric temperature and a temperature-humidity index. Significant genetic variance and heritability estimates were derived for these animal resilience phenotypes. Furthermore, some resilience traits had a significant unfavourable genetic correlation with animal performance. Genome-wide association analyses identified several candidate genes related to animal resilience to environment change.ConclusionsHeritable variation exists among dairy goats in their production response to fluctuating weather variables. Results may inform future breeding programmes aimed to ensure efficient animal performance under changing climatic conditions.

Pod indehiscence is a domestication and aridity resilience trait in common bean.

Plant domestication has stronglymodifiedcrop morphology and development. Nevertheless, many crops continueto display atavistic characteristics that were advantageous to their wild ancestors but are deleterious under cultivation, such as pod dehiscence (PD). Here, we provide the first comprehensive assessment of the inheritance of PD in the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), a major domesticated grain legume. Using three methods to evaluate the PD phenotype, we identifiedmultiple, unlinked genetic regions controlling PD in a biparental population and two diversity panels. Subsequently, we assessed patterns of orthology among these loci and those controlling the trait in other species. Our results show that different genes were selected in each domestication and ecogeographic race. A chromosome Pv03 dirigent-like gene, involved in lignin biosynthesis, showeda base-pair substitution that is associated with decreased PD. This haplotype may underlie the expansion of Mesoamerican domesticates into northern Mexico, where arid conditions promote PD. The rise in frequency of the decreased-PD haplotype may be a consequence of the markedly different fitness landscape imposed by domestication. Environmental dependencyandgenetic redundancy can explain the maintenance of atavistic traits under domestication.

Transformation and Resilience at the University of Redlands

Small, private, non-profit liberal arts universities with professional schools face threats that differ from those of large, public, and private institutions. These include threats such as low brand recognition outside a small geographic area, changes in the natural environment, and lower business school enrollments which reduce income from tuition. The University of Redlands responded to these threats by merging with a small institution in a different market and by adding a major in sustainable business and adding online delivery to its MBA program. These changes both built on the existing capacity for change and added new sources of resilience. They hired and developed leaders and followers with resilient traits and values. They built organizational cultures, identities, and character that could support resilience and positive change. They built a network of positive stakeholder relationships with diverse groups. Finally, they instituted teams, plans, and other resources that enabled agility.

CAN HAPPINESS AND RESILIENCE BE CULTIVATED? EVALUATION OF A TEN WEEK PILOT WITHIN A UK HEI

This paper considers whether the traits of happiness and resilience can be cultivated within a higher education institution (HEI) setting. It does this by exploring the development, implementation and evaluation of a ten-week pilot programme carried out on staff and students within a UK university. The programme involved receiving an email every weekday for ten weeks, which covered a range of themes connected with happiness and resilience. Participants were invited to carry out daily reflections and tasks. They also had access to an online discussion page hosted on the University’s virtual learning environment (VLE), called Canvas. Both staff and students across all campuses and directorates were eligible to participate. The results indicated that participants found the structure of the programme helpful and reported greater subjective levels of happiness and resilience as a result of the project. Significance of Research: The research points to the value of HEIs developing quality enhancement measures that contribute to staff and student well-being thereby strengthening their employability and soft skills.

Responses of stream macroinvertebrates to hydrological disturbances in Dinki watershed, central highlands of Ethiopia

Understanding of stream resilience to anthropogenic pressure is vital for sound implementation of conservation efforts, as resilient streams quickly recover from disturbance. However, evidence on the extent of stream recovery is minimal in Ethiopia. This study assesses the temporal responses of macroinvertebrate assemblages to hydrological disturbance of headwater streams in Dinki watershed, in the central highlands of Ethiopia. A total of 86 composite samples were collected along the longitudinal gradient of Dinki stream. A repeated measure analysis of variance (rmANOVA) was computed to explore changes in environmental and macroinvertebrate assemblages between autumn (2016), winter, spring, and summer (2017). The mean differences in the pre-and post-disturbance events (low and high-flows) were computed using the paired t-test. Likewise, a Redundancy Analysis (RDA) was used to visualize patterns in macroinvertebrate distribution and their relationship with environmental variables. Furthermore, indicator taxa were identified using the indicator value (IndVal) method. On top of that, the Jaccard’s index was calculated to examine similarities between pre-and post-disturbance events as well as resilience score was computed to quantify the rate of recovery to spate disturbance. The maximum and minimum mean values of macroinvertebrate structures (abundance, richness, diversity, and evenness) were recorded during the pre-and post-disturbance events, respectively. The IndVal of assemblages were highly variable between seasons, indicating variations in ecological preferences. The small Jaccard’s index values (low-flow: 0.48; spate:0.35) revealed the severity of the hydrological disturbances. Despite its slow rate (37% recovery within 20 days), a tendency of recovery was evident, particularly due to the presence of stable refuges and assemblages with resistance and resilience traits. Therefore, promoting stream conservation is plausible to ensure habitat heterogeneity, lessen the effects of hydrological disturbances and to enhance resilience.

Perennial Energy Grasses: Resilient Crops in a Changing European Agriculture

This review describes the multiple utilization of perennial grasses as resilient crops for a multifunctional agriculture. Beyond its role of producing food, feed and fiber, the concept of multifunctional agriculture includes many other functions, such as ecosystem services, renewable energy production and a contribution to the socio-economic viability of rural areas. Traditionally used for feed, some perennial grasses—known as perennial energy grasses (e.g., miscanthus—Miscanthus × giganteus Greef et Deuter, giant reed—Arundo donax L., switchgrass—Panicun virgatum L., reed canary grass—Phalaris arundinacea L.)—have been recommended as a biomass source for both energy and non-energy applications, and ecosystem services. Perennial grasses are lignocellulosic, low-cost feedstock, able to grow in variable environments including marginal lands. Due to their high yield, resilient traits, biomass composition, energy and environmental sustainability, perennial grasses are a candidate feedstock to foster the bio-based economy and adapt to a changing agriculture. However, perennial grasses for biomass production are largely undomesticated crops, or are at early stages of development. Hence, a great potential for improvements is expected, provided that research on breeding, agronomy, post-harvest logistic and bioconversion is undertaken in order to deliver resilient genotypes growing and performing well across a broad range of environmental conditions, climatic uncertainty, marginal land type and end-use destinations.

Growth Performance and Meat Characteristics of the First Awassi-Rambouillet Callipyge Backcross.

Simple SummaryThe Awassi sheep breed is very resilient in the Mediterranean region but shows poor meat quality. The callipyge mutation enhances growth and meat characteristics, and as such we bred Awassi-Rambouillet Callipyge carrier rams with Awassi ewes and compared meat quality in the first backcross of Awassi-Rambouillet callipyge carriers (CRAW), non carrier Rambouillet Awassi (RAW), and pure Awassi (AW) ram lambs in a fattening trial for 94 days. CRAW lambs showed mostly similar growth potential and meat characteristics to RAW lambs. However, CRAW lambs showed higher growth potential as compared to AW lambs, and better meat characteristics in the shoulders and legs, but not in tenderness. Fat tail weight did not change in CRAW as compared to AW lambs. Therefore, the introgression of the callipyge mutation in Awassi lambs allows for improvement in growth and meat, without impacting the currently desirable traits of the fat tail. This research allows the improvement of meat production and return on investment in the local flocks of Awassi sheep.The Awassi breed is desirable due to its resilient traits, but shows poor lean meat content on the carcass; the callipyge mutation may enhance growth and meat characteristics. The first backcross of callipyge Awassi–Rambouillet (CRAW) lambs was generated by mating Awassi ewes with heterozygous F1 (50 % Awassi and 50 % Rambouillet) rams for the callipyge mutation. A fattening trial with carriers of CLPG (CRAW), non-carriers (RAW), and Awassi (AW) ram lambs was conducted for 94 days and growth and meat characteristic parameters were recorded. Final body weight, average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio, and dry matter intake, but not initial body weight, were greater in CRAW and RAW lambs as compared to AW lambs; hot and cold carcass, dressing percentage, and shoulder, rack, and loin weights were greater in CRAW vs. AW but not RAW lambs. Leg cuts were heavier in CRAW vs. both RAW and AW lambs; intermuscular and subcutaneous fat percentages were greater in CRAW as compared to AW but not RAW lambs. Non-carcass components showed kidney fat, kidney, liver and testes weights higher in CRAW lambs as compared to AW lambs, but these parameters were similar to those of RAW lambs. There were no differences in fat tail weight. Further, CRAW lambs had higher shear force and water holding capacity than RAW and AW lambs, while cooking loss was the lowest in CRAW lambs. In conclusion, the callipyge mutation with 25% Rambouillet genes can provide efficient improvements in growth and meat characteristics, with the exception of tenderness in Awassi sheep.

Grit, resilience and mindset in health students.

Grit, resilience and a growth mindset are personal traits conducive to optimal learning and clinical readiness. These are important traits to consider with regards to whether a student thrives or struggles in challenging situations. Research with medical, nursing and pharmacy students demonstrates correlations of these traits with positive well-being and academic success. No research has investigated the traits of resilience, grit and mindset type together in health professional students to explore whether they are related, and none have focused on physiotherapy students. Cross-sectional study of final-year physiotherapy students (n=134) aiming to describe the levels of these personal traits and to determine whether they are related to each other or demographic factors. A proportion of physiotherapy students have low levels of resilience (25%), low academic resilience (19%) and low levels of grittiness (13%). Grit and resilience were positively related (p<0.001). A smaller fraction of students had a fixed mindset in relation to intelligence (7%) and talent (10%). Having a mental health condition or disability and the number of hours spent in paid employment were related to personal traits. This is the first study to document empirical evidence of physiotherapy students' levels of grit, resilience and mindset type with a significant proportion of students having low levels of these attributes. Results have implications for clinical educators and universities seeking to improve student well-being in order to facilitate effective learning. Institutions need to consider best-practice approaches to managing and supporting these students to foster well-being for effective learning.

Resilience and long-term outcomes after trauma: An opportunity for early intervention?

Resilience, or the ability to cope with difficulties, influences an individual's response to life events including unexpected injury. We sought to assess the relationship between patient self-reported resilience traits and functional and psychosocial outcomes 6 months after traumatic injury. Adult trauma patients 18 years to 64 years of age with moderate to severe injuries (Injury Severity Score, ≥9) admitted to one of three Level I trauma centers between 2015 and 2017 were contacted by phone at 6 months postinjury and asked to complete a validated Trauma Quality of Life (T-QoL) survey and PTSD screen. Patients were classified into "low" and "high" resilience categories. Long-term outcomes were compared between groups. Adjusted logistic regression models were built to determine the association between resilience and each of the long-term outcomes. A total of 305 patients completed the 6-month interview. Two hundred four (67%) of the 305 patients were classified as having low resilience. Mean age was 42 ± 14 years, 65% were male, 91% suffering a blunt injury, and average Injury Severity Score was 15.4 ± 7.9. Patients in the low-resilience group had significantly higher odds of functional limitations in activities of daily living (odds ratio [OR], 4.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.48-9.34). In addition, patients in the lower resilience group were less likely to have returned to work/school (OR, 3.25; 95% CI, 1.71-6.19), more likely to report chronic pain (OR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.54-4.30) and more likely to screen positive for PTSD (OR, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.58-5.54). Patients with low resilience demonstrated worse functional and psychosocial outcomes 6 months after injury. These data suggest that screening for resilience and developing and deploying early interventions to improve resilience-associated traits as soon as possible after injury may hold promise for improving important long-term functional outcomes. Prognostic, level II.

Functional Analysis of Genes Involved in Glycerolipids Biosynthesis (GPAT1 and GPAT2) in Pigs

Simple SummaryPork consumption is the highest among all meats in Poland and in the world. Current breeding programs were designed to obtain high meat content and low levels of fat in pork carcasses. This resulted in a decrease in the quality of meat. Numerous researchers indicated that intramuscular fat content (IMF) is the determining factor for meat quality and consumer’s acceptance of meat. The genes GPAT1 and GPAT2, being the objective of this study are involved in triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis. TAGs are the main constituents of animal fat as well as of IMF. The aim of this study was to assess the expression level of the GPAT1 and GPAT2 genes in musculus longissimus lumborum, subcutaneous fat and liver of pigs. Moreover, association analysis between the genes’ expression, production traits, quality and sensory parameters of pork was carried out. The results obtained showed significant differences in the mRNA expression of analyzed genes between tissues and breeds of pigs. Furthermore, association analysis showed significant associations between expression level of the genes and some of the production traits, sensory and quality parameters of pork. The results of this study indicated the possibility of modification of desired traits through transcriptional control of gene expression.Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) enzymes catalyze the first step in triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis. Genes that belong to the GPAT family are potential genetic markers for intramuscular fat content (IMF) content and thus meat quality. The objective of this study was to analyze the expression of GPAT1 and GPAT2 genes in musculus longissimus lumborum, liver and subcutaneous fat of various breeds of pigs. Furthermore, correlations between the genes’ expression abundance and utility traits, meat quality and meat texture parameters of pork were determined. The results obtained showed significant differences in the mRNA level of GPAT1 between analyzed tissues and breeds. The highest expression of GPAT1 gene was observed in liver tissue (p ≤ 0.01). Furthermore, significantly higher GPAT1 transcript level in the m. longissimus lumborum was observed for duroc in comparison to other analyzed breeds (p ≤ 0.05). Expression of the GPAT2 gene was shown only in the liver tissues, however statistically significant differences between the analyzed breeds were not observed. Correlation analysis confirmed the highest association between GPAT2 gene expression level in liver and cohesiveness and resilience traits of m. longissimus lumborum (p ≤ 0.01).

Authoritarian resilience through top-down transformation: making sense of Myanmar's incomplete transition

AbstractStarting from the imperfect nature of Myanmar's democracy, this paper aims to answer two questions. First, can Myanmar's transition be defined as a case of democratization, or is it, rather, a case of authoritarian resilience? To state this differently: is the progress enjoyed by Myanmar's polity the outcome of an ongoing process that is supposed to lead to a fully fledged democracy, or, rather, an attempt to enshrine elements of authoritarian governance under a democratic guise? Second, if the balance leans towards the latter instead of the former, how did authoritarian resilience work in Myanmar? The transition is analysed from a long-term perspective, moving from the 1988 pro-democracy uprising up to the most recent events. Data were collected from available published sources and from three fieldworks conducted by the authors in Myanmar. The paper concludes that Myanmar's transition is better understood as a case of authoritarian resilience than as democratization and highlights three core traits of Myanmar's authoritarian resilience: first, the very top-down nature of the political transformation; second, the incumbents’ ability to set the pace of political reform through the use of repression and political engineering; and third, the divide-and-rule strategy used as a means to keep contestations separated and local.

Concurrent Validity and Reliability of Two Short Forms of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire in a Student Sample from Northwest Mexico

It is estimated that aproximately 4% of the world’s population is either living with depression, anxiety, or both. The prevalence of these disorders has been consistently increasing. This widespread and increasing prevalence highlights the importance of having well-validated scales to assess symptoms in different languages. The Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ; Clark and Watson Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100(3), 316–336, 1991) is a commonly used self-report questionnaire that assesses both depression and anxiety symptoms. To investigate the psychometric properties of a Spanish translation of two short forms of the MASQ (the MASQ-SF and Mini-MASQ), each item was translated and back translated by bilingual researchers and checked by two additional senior investigators. The sample included 238 graduate and undergraduate students from Northwestern Mexico. Participants also completed questionnaires assessing self-reported perceived stress, well-being, resilience, and personality traits. We examined internal consistency reliability, factor structure, and convergent, discriminant and concurrent validity of both MASQ short forms. The Mini-MASQ and MASQ-SF showed good internal consistency; moreover, consistent with previous studies, a three-factor structure emerged. We additionally found that MASQ measures were negatively associated with well-being and resilience, and positively related to stress and neuroticism. The study findings suggest that these Spanish versions of the the Mini-MASQ and MASQ-SF are valid and reliable instruments to assess dimensional aspects of depression and anxiety and can be implemented in studies in Northwest Mexico.

The impacts of agriculture on macroinvertebrate communities: From structural changes to functional changes in Asia's cold region streams

The species composition of macroinvertebrate communities is sensitive to environmental changes. However, the influence of human activity over seasons on the functional characteristics of macroinvertebrate communities is poorly understood. To elucidate the effects of agriculture-induced environmental changes on stream ecosystems in cold regions, we conducted a comparative study of an agricultural stream and a forest stream in the Changbai Mountains in northeast China in the summer, autumn, and winter of 2016. Our results showed that agriculture had significant effects on the species and functional composition. Although some sensitive species with “Swimmer” and “Shredder” traits disappeared, there was a significant increase in species with resilience and resistance traits such as “Bi- or multivoltine” in the agricultural stream. This result was attributed to the effects of agricultural practices on habitat stability, heterogeneity of habitats, water quality, and material cycling of the stream ecosystems. Furthermore, functional richness and functional divergence decreased in the agricultural stream, reflecting the strong effects of agricultural disturbance on the resource-use efficiency and functional diversification of communities. In particular, community stability also showed significant decrease in the agricultural stream in the summer, implying a stronger disturbance during this season. Generally, the functional traits and biodiversity of both streams had significant seasonal dynamics. The decrease in biodiversity in the winter indicated that low temperature and freezing are additional critical factors affecting the stability of stream ecosystems in cold regions.

Two Approaches to Classifying and Quantifying Physical Resilience in Longitudinal Data.

Approaches for quantifying physical resilience in older adults have not been described. We apply two conceptual approaches to defining physical resilience to existing longitudinal data sets in which outcomes are measured after an acute physical stressor. A "recovery phenotype" approach uses statistical methods to describe how quickly and completely a patient recovers. Statistical methods using a recovery phenotype approach can consider multiple outcomes simultaneously in a composite score (eg, factor analysis and principal components analysis) or identify groups of patients with similar recovery trajectories across multiple outcomes (eg, latent class profile analysis). An "expected recovery differential" approach quantifies how patients' actual outcomes are compared to their predicted outcome based on a population-derived model and their individual clinical characteristics at the time of the stressor. Application of the approaches identified different participants as being the most or least physically resilient. In the viral respiratory cohort (n = 186) weighted kappa for agreement across resilience quartiles was 0.37 (0.27-0.47). The expected recovery differential approach identified a group with more comorbidities and lower baseline function as highly resilient. In the hip fracture cohort (n = 541), comparison of the expected recovery differentials across 10 outcome measures within individuals provided preliminary support for the hypothesis that there is a latent resilience trait at the whole-person level. We posit that recovery phenotypes may be useful in clinical applications such as prediction models because they summarize the observed outcomes across multiple measures. Expected recovery differentials offer insight into mechanisms behind physical resilience not captured by age and other comorbidities.

Structural complexity enhancement as a potential coral-reef restoration tool

One of the major challenges for coral reef science is to find sound management tools to reverse the rapid degradation of the world’s reefs and their valuable ecosystem services. In this sense, much effort is dedicated to identify reef resilience indicators and traits, the restoration and protection of which can promote coral reef recovery following degradation. Here we examine two widely studied reef resilience traits, i.e. coral recruitment and structural complexity, and potential links between the two on different spatial scales that may be used to promote reef resilience by active restoration. Specifically, we explore the use of structural complexity enhancement (SCE; artificially increasing the complexity of a degraded reef by adding structures to it) as a potential restoration tool for increasing coral recruitment. Our SCE experiments resulted in an increase of 400–600% in coral recruitment, which was correlated with some of the spatial scales of complexity. From a management perspective, the current study supports the idea that, under certain circumstances, SCE may serve as an effective restoration tool to enhance coral recruitment, which could be an alternative or addition to coral transplantation. The results also emphasize the importance of measuring and enhancing structural complexity on different spatial scales (from mm to m) for the promotion of different functional groups (e.g. corals and fish). This approach, if further developed, may serve as a key element in restoration projects of structurally degraded coral reefs.

Antecedents of women managers’ resilience: conceptual discussion and implications for HRM

PurposeThis paper aims to provide a framework with the antecedents of women managers’ resilience in SMEs.Design/methodology/approachThis developmental study uses a comprehensive literature review and a set of propositions to identify the antecedent of women managers’ resilience and develops a conceptual framework for resilience.FindingsThe results indicate that in addition to personal resilience traits, interactive engagement with the work environment, career adaptability and positive human resource management (HRM) interventions are the main antecedents of women managers’ resilience.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper contributes to theory by providing a new perspective on the study of resilience as a process at the organisational level and as a trait at personal level. It contributes to the women employee-centric resilience discussion in HRM literature and explores the relationship between resilience and women managers’ career progression. This is a developmental study, and despite the strengths of the undertaken approach, there are a number of limitations due to the lack of empirical evidence. Therefore, future research activities should focus on validating the framework and determining any potential boundaries of this resilience framework.Practical implicationsThe study reveals a number of practical implications leading to a recommended resilience toolkit for HR managers of organisations to develop and promote resilience in their women managers and aspiring managers.Social implicationsThe social implications of this study include the social relationships within the work-setting, better employee engagement and interaction with the work environment and flexible career progression pathways.Originality/valueThe paper is based on rich conceptual and theoretical discussion that identifies the key antecedents of women managers’ resilience. The study also conceptually establishes the moderating relationship between women managers’ resilience and work stress and burnout.

Building traits for organizational resilience through balancing organizational structures

This paper describes and explains how balancing organizational structures can build traits for organizational resilience. Organizational resilience is a holistic and complex concept. In this paper, we move beyond focusing on sudden and disruptive events in favour of anticipating the unexpected in daily organizing. Organizational resilience is understood here as building traits of risk awareness, preference for cooperation, agility and improvisation and is analysed by means of a longitudinal qualitative case study. The paper contributes to the field by showing how balancing organizational structures can foster organizational resilience traits. We show that power distribution and normative control can create preparedness for unexpected events and foster action orientation at the same time as supporting organizational alignment.

Depressive symptoms, resilience, and personality traits in dry eye disease.

Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial disease of the ocular surface that leads to symptoms of discomfort and reduces quality of life. Several studies have shown an association with depression. We investigated the prevalence of depressive symptoms and their severity in DED patients and examined whether depressive symptoms correlate with signs, symptoms, or subtypes of DED or with psychological factors (resilience, premorbid personality, and subjective well-being). This cross-sectional study (n = 64, mean age 56.72, 70% women) was conducted at the Dry Eye Clinic of the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Düsseldorf. Psychological assessment included the Beck Depression Inventory, revised version (BDI-II); World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5); 13-item Resilience Scale (RS-13); and Munich Personality Test (MPT). DED parameters were assessed by the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), Schirmer test (ST), tear film break-up time (TBUT), and corneal fluorescein staining (CFS). As the reference for the BDI-II depression score, we used standard values from a German sample of healthy individuals (n = 582, 66% women). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the effects of various parameters on depressive symptoms. Associations between variables were examined by Pearson or Spearman correlation tests. Among all participants, 61% had depressive symptoms (25% minimal, 14% mild, 17% moderate, and 5% severe). The mean BDI-II score (11.95, ± 8.46) was significantly higher than in the healthy reference group (p < .0001). It was not correlated with the severity of signs or symptoms of DED or with its subtypes, but it was significantly negatively correlated with resilience (p < .0001) and subjective well-being (p < .0001). Depressive symptoms were negatively correlated with the premorbid personality trait extraversion (p = .036) and frustration tolerance (p < .0001) and positively correlated with premorbid neuroticism (p = .001), isolation tendencies (p = .014), and esoteric tendencies (p = .001). Depressive symptoms of all degrees of severity are common in DED patients, but they are not associated with the severity of signs or symptoms of DED. Subjective well-being, resilience, and premorbid personality do not correlate with the signs or symptoms of DED, but they do correlate with depressive symptoms.

Resilience to adversity is associated with increased activity and connectivity in the VTA and hippocampus.

Accumulating evidence suggests altered function of the mesolimbic reward system resulting from exposure to early adversity. The present study investigated the combined long-term impact of adversity until young adulthood on neuronal reward processing and its interaction with individual resilience processes. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, 97 healthy young adults performed a reward-based decision-making task. Adversity as well as resilience were assessed retrospectively using the validated childhood trauma questionnaire, trauma history questionnaire and a resilience scale. Subjects with high adversity load showed reduced reward-related bottom-up activation in the ventral striatum (VS), ventral tegmental area (VTA) and hippocampus (HP) as compared to the low adversity group. However, high resilience traits in individuals with high adversity load were associated with an increased activation in the VTA and HP, indicating a possible resilience-related protective mechanism. Moreover, when comparing groups with high to low adversity, psychophysiological interaction analyses highlighted an increased negative functional coupling between VS and VTA as well as between VS and anteroventral prefrontal cortex (avPFC) during reward acceptance, and an impaired top-down control of the VS by the avPFC during reward rejection. In turn, combination of high adversity and high resilience traits was associated with an improved functional coupling between VTA, VS and HP. Thereby, the present findings identify neural mechanisms mediating interacting effects of adversity and resilience, which could be targeted by early intervention and prevention.