Uncertain Legacies: Resilience and Institutional Child Abuse - A Literature Review - Research Findings

Definitions of resilience

The well-documented impacts of experiencing abuse as a child can be longstanding, and lead to difficulties in forming intimate and caring relationships; substance and alcohol abuse; suicidal thoughts or attempts; criminal offending; and problems finding and maintaining employment, which leads to higher rates of homelessness and poverty (Wolfe et al, 2003, Lev-Weisel, 2008; Jackson and Martin, 1998; Roman et al, 2008). However, the studies reviewed here noted a proportion of survivors reporting fewer or no persisting problems as a result of their childhood abuse experiences: this varied among studies from 13 percent up to one third of participants (Hauser, 1999; Simpson, 2010, Werner, 1992). The concept of resilience was seen as helpful in explaining why survival experiences might vary from individual to individual.

Despite extensive research and developmental work in the last few decades, it has proved impossible to establish a single, comprehensive definition of resilience. Nevertheless the literature reviewed overwhelmingly identified it as a process rather than an individual character trait or a particular outcome. However, two elements were apparent in all the proposed definitions: they described positive personal responses in the face of adverse external events.

Although there is no single definition, it is possible to identify a range of interlinking characteristics that might be associated with resilience: it is dynamic, because it evolves over time; it is contingent, dependent on a range of interactive factors which shape personal responses; it is longitudinal, as it can ebb and flow throughout life; it is multidimensional, and might vary from situation to situation for any individual; and it is highly individualised yet reliant on interactions with other people. It is, therefore, a fluid, lifelong process that is context specific, yet fluctuates across multiple aspects of an individual's life, and is shaped by personal circumstances and social interactions.