The Role of Resilience in Mitigating the Effects of Trauma on Mental Health

Abstract

Psychological trauma manifests itself when an individual is faced with extremely stressful situations that exceed their ability to cope or integrate thoughts and emotions. Exposure to high-stress scenarios and trauma is correlated with an increased prevalence of mental health disorders, including depressive and anxiety disorders. Resilience, as a concept, is based on the belief that an individual has faced circumstances of “significant adversity” and responded positively, ultimately restoring or improving performance and psychological well-being. Definitions of resilience run the gamut from mere survival to adaptation, ability, healing, resilience, robustness and health. Cicchetti and Rogosch define resilience as: “a dynamic process involving the achievement of positive adaptation in the context of exposure to significant adversity that typically exerts major assaults on biological and psychological development.” Traumatic events can enhance or impede the development of resilience. When a disturbance occurs, there is a potential impact on the formation of a self-system adept at dealing with extraordinary circumstances. This can adversely affect fundamental aspects of resilience, such as strong, interpersonal relationships, optimal performance and adaptability in unpredictable situations. Traumatic events can disrupt, reconstruct or strengthen existing resilience or damage the intricate. The final outcome depends on the nuanced interplay of subjective experiential factors, functional domains and inherent characteristics of the traumatic events themselves.

The research was conducted on the general population, aged 18 and over. The questionnaire consisted of demographic data of respondents, and an instrument for testing resilience: Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 25) and International Trauma Scale (ITQ).

One hundred and four respondents participated in the research. Most of the respondents are female, married, with a high school diploma, and live in urban areas. The results of the research indicate that the majority of respondents believe in their own ability to adapt to changes and actively seek a humorous perspective as a mechanism for dealing with challenges. Also, most of the respondents did not experience traumatic events in the past month that would significantly affect their ability to cope with stressful situations. These findings provide insight into the psychological characteristics and stability of the majority of women who participated in the research.