Resilience is usually defined as one’s ability to ‘bounce back’ from adversity and is a salient indicator of patients’ quality of life and psychosocial functions in facing chronic diseases, for instance, cancer, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, heart failure, etc. Thus, resilience is an important attribute of patients challenged with chronic disease. How patients gain or lose resilience resources during the diagnosis, treatment and ultimately the survivorship of a chronic disease is attracting increased attention in the field of psychology and psychiatry. Interestingly, there exist many different forms of resilience including physiological, psychological, social and spiritual resilience, that involving a variety of factors, from behavioural constructs like defence mechanisms, beliefs, and personalities to molecular levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neuropeptide Y and oxytocin in emotion- and cognition-related brain areas. The factors underpinning psychological and social resilience are less established and therefore the primary focus in this collection. However, the construct of resilience has not been clearly established and whether resilience should be defined as a state or trait continues to be debated. In addition, the predicted ability of resilience to enhance long -term quality of life and other psychosomatic outcomes in patients with different chronic disease should be further explored and clarified.
Therefore, the goal of this Research Topic is to exemplify the richness and complexity of resilience in patients with different chronic disease, a phenomenon that has begun to be deeply investigated in the field of psychology and psychiatry in the past few years. Our specific aim is to develop some resilience models to understand how resilience mitigates the consequences of chronic disease on patients’ health, and the mechanisms that mediate the effects of having a long-term chronic disease. Furthermore, we hope to recognize the distinct resilience trajectories during the diagnosis, treatment and survivorship throughout the course of chronic disease. Through this process we hope to also evaluate the predicted ability of resilience to enhance the long-term quality of life and other psycho-somatic outcomes in patients with different chronic diseases. Through the achievement of these aims, we also hope to develop new resilience theories and instruments for cultural and developmental levels of measuring psychological and social aspects of resilience. Finally, we want to highlight the efficacy and implementation challenges of resilience-based intervention for patients with different chronic disease in different stages.
This Research Topic welcomes contributions including original research, reviews, case studies, theoretical reflections and perspectives on the field of resilience for patients with chronic disease. We welcome evidence-based research studies especially in the field of psychology and psychiatry, including but not limited to:
• Studies using qualitative design, describing the experience and performance of resilient patients with chronic disease, or exploring the conceptual structures, trajectories and models of resilience for patients with chronic disease
• Studies using observational design, describing resilience and its associations with other psychological, social, and physical well-being of patients with chronic disease
• Studies using interventional design, investigating the efficacy, sustainability and implementation challenges of resilience programs targeting patients with chronic disease
• Prevention-oriented studies investigating how resilience mitigate the effect of chronic disease on patients’ health in different phases (i.e., first diagnosis, remission, relapse)
• Interdisciplinary studies including psychiatry, psychology, occupational health, public health, digital health, technology enhanced education, social and nursing research among others
• Innovative perspectives that contribute to advance the development of new resilience theories and instruments coming from interdisciplinary studies
Resilience is usually defined as one’s ability to ‘bounce back’ from adversity and is a salient indicator of patients’ quality of life and psychosocial functions in facing chronic diseases, for instance, cancer, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, heart failure, etc. Thus, resilience is an important attribute of patients challenged with chronic disease. How patients gain or lose resilience resources during the diagnosis, treatment and ultimately the survivorship of a chronic disease is attracting increased attention in the field of psychology and psychiatry. Interestingly, there exist many different forms of resilience including physiological, psychological, social and spiritual resilience, that involving a variety of factors, from behavioural constructs like defence mechanisms, beliefs, and personalities to molecular levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neuropeptide Y and oxytocin in emotion- and cognition-related brain areas. The factors underpinning psychological and social resilience are less established and therefore the primary focus in this collection. However, the construct of resilience has not been clearly established and whether resilience should be defined as a state or trait continues to be debated. In addition, the predicted ability of resilience to enhance long -term quality of life and other psychosomatic outcomes in patients with different chronic disease should be further explored and clarified.
Therefore, the goal of this Research Topic is to exemplify the richness and complexity of resilience in patients with different chronic disease, a phenomenon that has begun to be deeply investigated in the field of psychology and psychiatry in the past few years. Our specific aim is to develop some resilience models to understand how resilience mitigates the consequences of chronic disease on patients’ health, and the mechanisms that mediate the effects of having a long-term chronic disease. Furthermore, we hope to recognize the distinct resilience trajectories during the diagnosis, treatment and survivorship throughout the course of chronic disease. Through this process we hope to also evaluate the predicted ability of resilience to enhance the long-term quality of life and other psycho-somatic outcomes in patients with different chronic diseases. Through the achievement of these aims, we also hope to develop new resilience theories and instruments for cultural and developmental levels of measuring psychological and social aspects of resilience. Finally, we want to highlight the efficacy and implementation challenges of resilience-based intervention for patients with different chronic disease in different stages.
This Research Topic welcomes contributions including original research, reviews, case studies, theoretical reflections and perspectives on the field of resilience for patients with chronic disease. We welcome evidence-based research studies especially in the field of psychology and psychiatry, including but not limited to:
• Studies using qualitative design, describing the experience and performance of resilient patients with chronic disease, or exploring the conceptual structures, trajectories and models of resilience for patients with chronic disease
• Studies using observational design, describing resilience and its associations with other psychological, social, and physical well-being of patients with chronic disease
• Studies using interventional design, investigating the efficacy, sustainability and implementation challenges of resilience programs targeting patients with chronic disease
• Prevention-oriented studies investigating how resilience mitigate the effect of chronic disease on patients’ health in different phases (i.e., first diagnosis, remission, relapse)
• Interdisciplinary studies including psychiatry, psychology, occupational health, public health, digital health, technology enhanced education, social and nursing research among others
• Innovative perspectives that contribute to advance the development of new resilience theories and instruments coming from interdisciplinary studies
