Ability to cope with life’s challenges could cut death risk, study finds
Researchers said psychological resilience plays an important role in maintaining health and wellbeing.
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Your support makes all the difference.The ability to cope better with life’s challenges, such as poverty or bereavement, may reduce the risk of death in older people, a study has suggested.
Psychological resilience plays an important role in maintaining health and wellbeing, according to researchers.
For the study, academics from China and Sweden analysed two lots of data collected as part of the US Health and Retirement Study.
This included 10,569 people over the age of 50 who were asked about mental resilience between 2006 and 2008.
Exposure to adversity, such as poverty or significant life events like job loss or bereavement, often leads to disruptions in psychological functioning. However, individuals differ in their ability to overcome and adapt to adversity
Mental resilience was assessed using a scale of qualities such as a sense of purpose, calmness, self-reliance and perseverance, and was scored from 0 to 12.
The average age of the group was 66 and 59% were women, while the average resilience score was 9.18.
During a follow-up period, 3,489 deaths were recorded.
The scores were split into quarters based on 10-year survival probability – quarter one’s probability score was 61%, followed by 71.9% for quarter two, 77.7% for quarter three and 83.9% for quarter four.
Researchers found those in the highest quarter of psychological resilience had a 53% lower risk of death compared with those in the lowest.
The association was also higher in women than in men.
“Exposure to adversity, such as poverty or significant life events like job loss or bereavement, often leads to disruptions in psychological functioning,” the team said.
“However, individuals differ in their ability to overcome and adapt to adversity, with some exhibiting resilience while others struggle and experience psychological difficulties.
Various factors, including but not limited to meaning in life, positive emotions, self-rated health and satisfaction with social support, have been identified as potential influences on psychological resilience
“Various factors, including but not limited to meaning in life, positive emotions, self-rated health and satisfaction with social support, have been identified as potential influences on psychological resilience.
“Triggering these positive emotions may enhance the protective effects of psychological resilience and mitigate the negative impact of accumulated adversity on mental health in adults.”
Researchers added that the findings – published in BMJ Mental Health – “underscore the potential effectiveness of interventions aimed at promoting psychological resilience in order to mitigate mortality risks”.