Self-Reported Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Identifying factors associated with resilience is crucial for developing targeted interventions for diverse populations disproportionately affected by systemic inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Understanding resilience can inform resource allocation and support strategies for vulnerable groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine factors associated with self-reported resilience in a racially and ethnically diverse population of community-dwelling US adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To investigate the influence of sociodemographic, behavioral, health, and social determinant factors on resilience.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study utilizing data from the Collaborative Cohort of Cohorts for COVID-19 Research (C4R) study.
• Inclusion of 31,045 adult participants from 14 US prospective cohorts, assessing self-reported resilience via a single question from the Brief Resilience Scale.
• Modified Poisson regression analysis to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and multivariable-adjusted associations with resilience.

Main Results:

• Overall, 74.4% of participants reported resilience. Significant variations in resilience prevalence were observed across racial and ethnic groups, with Black and Hispanic participants showing higher prevalence, and American Indian and East Asian participants showing lower prevalence compared to White participants.
• Factors associated with higher resilience included higher education, marriage, higher income, and being overweight. Conversely, being female, having diabetes, and unemployment were linked to lower resilience.
• Private insurance was associated with higher resilience compared to public insurance. COVID-19 vaccination and infection status did not show significant associations. Racial and ethnic differences were noted in the association of factors like hypertension, marital status, and insurance with resilience.

Conclusions:

• Self-reported resilience among US adults during the COVID-19 pandemic is influenced by a complex interplay of race, ethnicity, sociodemographic factors, and health conditions.
• Findings underscore the need to consider individual and social determinants when assessing and supporting resilience in diverse populations.
• These insights can guide the development of more equitable and effective public health interventions and resource allocation strategies.