Resilience and Function in Adults With Chronic Physical Disabilities: A Cross-Lagged Panel Design.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Longitudinal Studies

Background:

• Resilience, defined as positive adaptation to adversity, is increasingly recognized for its potential role in managing chronic conditions.
• Existing evidence suggests resilience may influence various functional domains in adults with chronic physical disabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the temporal associations between resilience and key function domains in individuals with chronic physical disabilities.
• Specifically examined the predictive relationships between resilience, anxiety, depression, social role satisfaction, and physical function.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal survey study involving 1,574 adults with spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, or postpolio myelitis syndrome.
• Data collected via three mailed surveys over approximately one year, assessing resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale) and function domains (PROMIS short-forms).

Main Results:

• Cross-lagged path models revealed significant reciprocal relationships between resilience and social role satisfaction, anxiety, and depression.
• Resilience was a stronger predictor of future psychological function (anxiety, depression) than the inverse.
• Resilience and social role satisfaction demonstrated similar predictive strengths in both directions, with resilience showing a slightly stronger effect in the second time lag.

Conclusions:

• Resilience emerges as a significant prospective predictor of psychological and social function in adults with chronic physical disabilities.
• Findings underscore the importance of fostering resilience to enhance overall well-being and functional outcomes in this population.