A Concept Analysis of Resilience Using Roy's Adaptation Model

Describing resilience as a concept builds upon adaptive knowledge, inspiring further nursing research. A thematic integrative literature review using "resilience" as the keyword was conducted spanning nursing, psychology, and social work using EBSCOHost, CINAHL, Cochrane, Medline, and PsychINFO. The Roy adaptation model served as the nursing theoretical perspective for this inquiry. The Walker and Avant method was used and served to further the inquiry into what resilience means. Three attributes emerged from the review of literature and included (a) effective coping, (b) balanced response to hardship, and (c) rebound from threatening stimuli. Several quantitative scales that exist to measure resilience helped to shape its description in the context of nursing, including the 25-Item Resilience Scale. Further exploration is needed to operationalize resilience as a concept so that it may be understood as a phenomenon to build upon the existing nursing knowledge within the discipline.