A recent study published in BMJ Mental Health analyzed data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a long-term survey of adults aged 50 and above, which tracks participants’ health, marital status, and economic well-being every two years.
The research findings revealed an almost linear relationship between higher mental resilience scores and a lower risk of death. Survival probabilities over 10 years improved as resilience scores increased. Women, especially, showed a stronger association between resilience and survival compared to men.
The study highlights the importance of mental health in aging populations. It shows that building resilience can buffer the negative effects of long-term conditions and disability. By promoting psychological resilience, healthcare providers can help older adults better cope with the inevitable challenges of aging and improve their chances of living longer, healthier lives.
Reference: 1. Zhang, Aijie, Liqiong Zhou, Yaxian Meng, Qianqian Ji, Meijie Ye, Qi Liu, Weiri Tan, et al. “Association between psychological resilience and all-cause mortality in the Health and Retirement Study.” BMJ Mental Health 27, no. 1 (January 1, 2024): e301064. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjment-2024-301064.