Dynamics of resilience in a life crisis: interdisciplinary conceptualization and operationalization

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Franziska Geiser
• Subject Area: Public Health, Healthcare Research, Social and Occupational Medicine
• Term: from 2019 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 348851031

Since its description by E. Werner (1977), the concept of resilience has led to a wealth of studies and models in psychological and medical research. While interdisciplinary approaches with neuropsychobiology have been developed, a bridge to the concepts of resilience in the field of the humanities has not yet been built.Based on an overview and analysis of existing theories of resilience, a new, interdisciplinary definition of resilience will be developed using a structured process involving the group of experts in the research group. In particular, this development will address criticisms of formulations of resilience purely in terms of personal strength, focus on processes of endurance and the formation of powerlessness, fear and anxiety in a crisis and examine the significance of spirituality for resilience.Building on this definition, a resilience model will be developed, whose elements can be categorized as resilience factors and mechanisms. The model will then be operationalized for translation into clinical contexts and empirically tested, to check the relevance of derived categories for resilience in real life. Semi-structured interviews with patients who are undergoing psychosomatic-psychotherapeutic treatment due to a life crisis will be conducted and qualitatively analyzed. These data, together with both theoretical and empirical results from the other subprojects, will be fed back into interdisciplinary discussion within the research group and will complete the modeling process.From this model, an assessment instrument will be constructed which allows the resilience concept developed in the research group to be applied and empirically assessed in clinical and non-clinical practice. While methods of classical test construction will be used, there will be flexibility to develop additional assessment methods out of the interdisciplinary discussion, e.g. using resilience narratives. In a new sample of patients, the new assessment tool will be validated and psychometrically evaluated. One focus is on the interdisciplinary applicability in different target groups, as represented in subprojects 6-8.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 2686: Resilience in Religion and Spirituality. Endurance and the Formation of Powerlessness, Fear and Anxiety
• International Connection: United Kingdom
• Co-Investigators: Professorin Dr. Nicole Ernstmann; Professor Dr. Ulrich Ettinger
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Chris Burton