p.3 Resilience is a vital attribute for nurses in their everyday work and
particularly amidst the current nursing shortage. It denotes a combination of abilities and characteristics that interact
dynamically to allow an individual to bounce back, cope successfully, and function above the norm in spite of significant
stress or adversity.1 Although researchers agree on multiple domains to the concept of resilience, it can be viewed
as a qualitative categorical construct 2 or as a continuum of adaptation or success experiences.3 Its
complexity necessitates an additional holistic nursing perspective.
p.3 Resilience is not static.
p.4 Risk factors do not predict a particular negative outcome with
absolute certainty; they only expose individuals to circumstances associated with a higher incidence of that outcome.
Risk factors stem from multiple life stressors, a single traumatic event, or cumulative stress from a number
of individual and environmental factors.
p.4 Protective factors are defined as operating to protect those
at risk from the effects of the risk factors... When stress or
the number of risk factors is greater than the number of protective factors, individuals who exhibited resilience in the past
may be overwhelmed and develop symptoms
p.4 From the psychological literature on stress and coping, observations
of individuals coping better than expected and actually improving as a result of adversity laid the groundwork for the construct
of resilience... the construct uses a holistic, multilevel approach ... resilience focuses upon positive outcomes, not illness...
The early studies of resilience focused upon factors or characteristics that assist individuals to thrive from adversity.
p.4 Environmental factors that influence resilience include perceived social
support or a sense of connectedness and life events. Social support has been described as an important factor in several domains
of resilience.2,8,9 A brief definition includes the objective quantity of social resources as well as the process
of maintaining relationships. Social support is a transaction between the person and the environment.
p.6 Reactions to stress can no longer be seen as isolated
events eliciting a response, but rather the outcome of what has gone on before. There is a dynamic interaction of
patterns of coping responses, personality characteristics, social support, and genetically determined biological
reactivity with an individual’s appraisal of a stimulus to effect... responses that influence resilience and health.
p.7 When considering the larger social context of an individual, the appreciation
of the concept of resilience becomes more clear. To have this perspective, it is important to use
a holistic framework.
p.7 The importance of interdisciplinary teams and interdisciplinary
training as part of professional education can only add to the understanding and application of the construct of resilience.
