Resilience throughout and beyond COVID-19: a longitudinal analysis

Abstract

Defined as the ability to adapt to adversity with a positive and stable mindset, resilience should be an important factor in coping with long-term evolving setbacks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the negative mental health impacts of the pandemic are well-documented, the course of resilience during the pandemic and recovery periods remains understudied. This study examined resilience trajectories among respondents in the Canadian Personal Impacts of COVID-19 Survey (PICS) who provided data for at least two timepoints (n = 741). Resilience was measured using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and linear mixed models assessed for variations in resilience over time. Sociodemographic factors were introduced as fixed-effects variables to ascertain impacts on baseline resilience scores and temporal trends. Overall, resilience levels were low throughout the course of the study. The study sample's median baseline resilience score was 26 (IQR 21-30), which is significantly lower than the 25^th percentile CD-RISC score noted in a pre-pandemic American community survey. This remained relatively unchanged until month 20 of follow-up, when point resilience scores showed a subtle (under one point), yet significant uptick from baseline. Sociodemographic analysis showed that low income was consistently associated with lower resilience (1.8-point difference, SE = 0.5, p = 0.002) throughout the observational period. Participants with a psychiatric disorder history had lower baseline resilience compared to those without any psychiatric history (3.4-point difference, SE = .05, p < 0.001). This gap decreased to 2.0 points (SE = 0.6, p < 0.001) by 24 months post baseline, suggesting that this negative effect on resilience diminished over time.

Keywords: Psychological resilience; pandemic; sociodemographic factors.