As Rose Hill Center develops a culture of services that are trauma informed, we consider the topic from many perspectives. We work to make sure that all residents feel safe and are fully prepared to work on treatment goals. Each resident advances at their own pace, and that pace is impacted by numerous variables. One such variable is resilience.
Resilience, also known as hardiness, is comprised of strengths that contribute to adaptive functioning in the face of adversity. The subject of resilience has been researched in an attempt to understand how and when someone develops, or fails to develop resilience.This is particularly interesting when integrating effective practices and policies into a trauma informed program because research supports the idea that hardiness is an index of mental health (1)
Some scholars even feel that resilience may act as a protective mechanism against the development of mental health problems (2). Subsequent research has been done to explore the relationship between resilience and mental health, resulting in some interesting conclusions. Factors associated with resilient people include an easy temperament, self-efficacy, planning skills, and strong social relationships (3).
There are studies that imply that improvement in resilience may well help to create new avenues for interventions (3). Rose Hill’s trauma informed services include the awareness that anything in our environment can be a trigger for trauma. And we empower staff, residents and families to all have a voice. This empowerment is just one of the many ways that our therapies encourage self-efficacy. By fully engaging in person-centered planning, residents develop a sense of control and improve their planning skills at the same time. Rose Hill’s community spirit contributes to resident friendships and a sense of belonging that play a part in building resilience.
(1).Ramanaiah, N., Sharpe, J., & Byravan, A. (1999). Hardiness and major personality factors. Psychological Reports, 84(2), 497-500. (2).Meng, X., Fleury, M., Yu-Tao, X., & Li, M. (2018). Resilience and protective factors among people with a history of child maltreatment: A systematic review. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 53(5), 453-475.
(3). Haeffel, G., & Vargas, I. (2011). Resilience to depressive symptoms: The buffering effects of enhancing cognitive style and positive life events. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 42(1), 13-18. Hoge, E., Austin, E., & Pollack, M. (2007). Resilience: Research evidence and conceptual considerations for posttraumatic stress disorder. Depression and Anxiety, 24(2), 139-152..
