Psychology News

New Study Maps 30 Years of Resilience Research
Systematic review highlights gaps and provides roadmap for future studies

Resilience is a powerful concept often used in science, policy, and everyday life. But what does it really mean, and how has it been studied over time?

The study, “A systematic review of conceptualizations and statistical methods in longitudinal studies of resilience”, led by Professor Dieter Wolke, Dr. Yanlin Zhou, and colleagues provides the most comprehensive overview to date of how resilience has been defined and measured over the past three decades.

This paper was recently published in Nature Mental Health. It systematically reviewed more than 190 longitudinal studies of resilience, covering over 800,000 participants across the life span. The key findings include:

• Only one in three studies clearly defined resilience, with varying interpretations as a trait, process, or outcome.
• Most research relied on variable-centred statistical methods and moderation models, with a strong focus on mental health outcomes following childhood or family adversity.
• Protective factors were often studied at the individual, family, and social levels, while genetics and neurobiological factors were rarely investigated.

The review calls for greater clarity in definitions and the use of multisystemic frameworks, and it provides methodological approaches to strengthen future resilience research. It offers a landmark for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to understand and promote resilience across the life course.

The authors commented “Resilience is an intriguing concept, but our review shows it has often been used inconsistently. We provide recommendations to help researchers design clearer, more robust studies that can ultimately improve resilience science, interventions, and policies to support vulnerable individuals.”

The full paper is available open access here: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00479-3Link opens in a new window