The age-invariant role of resilience resources in emotional symptomatology

Abstract

Objectives 1) To study the relationship between resilience resources (both social and individual) and emotional symptomatology (depression and anxiety symptoms), taking into account the potential indirect effects through perceived stress; 2) to investigate whether this network of relationships varies in different age groups. Method: A sample of 718 Brazilians completed self-reports on perceived stress, depressive and anxious symptomatology, social support and individual resilience. The sample comprised two age groups: a sample of adults aged 60 or older (n = 361; 38.78% men; M_age = 67.32 years, SD_age = 5.76, range = 60-86), and a sample of younger adults (n = 357; 29.41% men; M_age = 41.37 years, SD_age = 7.23, range = 18-59). Multigroup multiple indicator, multiple cause (MIMIC) modelling was used to test for the direct and indirect effects of resilience resources on emotional symptom development, considering the age groups. Results: The relationship between individual resilience resources and depressive or anxiety symptomatology was found to take place exclusively through stressfulness appraisal. On the other hand, social resilience resources showed a direct and indirect effect on emotional symptoms. This pattern of relationships was found to be invariant across age groups. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that both individual and social resilience resources are negatively related to both depressive and anxiety symptoms in adults regardless of age, thus opening the way to future research analysing how interventions may build resilience resources to minimise the influence of stressful and traumatic events across the lifespan.

Acknowledgements

Data, analytic methods and study materials are available upon request to corresponding author.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflcit of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Preparation of this article was supported by the Beatriz Galindo Programme of General Secretariat of Universities at the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (BGP18/00077) and the National Brazilian National Council of Technological and Scientific Development in Brazil 307366/2017-0 to BFC.