Conceptualising and operationalising resilience in older adults. Issue 1 (1st January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cosco, Theodore D; Kok, Almar; Wister, Andrew; Howse, Kenneth
• Is Part Of: Health psychology and behavioral medicine. Volume 7:Issue 1(2019)
• Page Start: 90
• Page End: 104
• Publication Date: 2019-01-01
• Subjects: Resilience -- conceptualisation -- operationalisation -- older adults -- methods; Clinical health psychology -- Periodicals; Medicine and psychology -- Periodicals; 613.09
• DOI: 10.1080/21642850.2019.1593845
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2164-2850

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Context: As a result of increases in life expectancy and decreases in fertility, the proportion of the population entering later life has increased dramatically in recent decades. When faced with age-related challenges, some older adults respond more positively to adversity than would be expected given the level of adversity that they have experienced, demonstrating 'resilience'. Objectives: Having a clear conceptual framework for resilience is a prerequisite to operationalising resilience in a research context. Methods: Here we compare and contrast several approaches to the operationalisation of resilience: psychometric-driven and data-driven (variable-centred and individual-centred) methods. Results: Psychometric-driven methods involve the administration of established questionnaires aimed at quantifying resilience. Data-driven techniques use statistical procedures to examine and/or operationalise resilience and can be broadly categorised into variable-centred methods, i.e. interaction and residuals, and individual-centred methods, i.e. categorical and latent class. Conclusions: The specific question(s) driving the research and the nature of the variables a researcher intends to use in their adversity-outcome dyad will largely dictate which methods are more (or less) appropriate in that circumstance. A measured approach to the ways in which resilience is investigated is warranted in order to facilitate the most useful application of this burgeoning field of research.