Resilience Models

Our Evolving Stress and Resilience Models

In the Center’s efforts to promote health and well-being, we focus not only on what goes wrong but also what goes right. Why are people in some communities healthier than others? How can communities restructure their policies, resource decisions, resource access, education, and social groups to create environments of well-being? In the face of powerful ordinary stressors and occasional extraordinary stressors, what can individuals and the people around them do to foster the resources and abilities to adapt – for the betterment of their mental and physical health?

Across the Center, we bring expertise in designing interventions centered on resilience and in measuring outcomes like positive mental health. Without this approach, you can miss the most powerful and enduring levers of well-being.

Factors Across Socioecological Levels May Create a Stress Symptom Cascade Potentially Buffered by Factors Generating a Resilience Cascade

Study findings across 18 years of United Methodist clergy in North Carolina identified factors related to mental distress and stress symptom outcomes, as well as positive mental health and ministry satisfaction outcomes. The model here, drawing on work by Lee et al. (2024), indicates hypothesized stress and resilience cascades in which factors may build on each other to increase stress symptoms or resilience. It is possible that resilience factors buffer stress symptoms in the face of stressors. Better health outcomes are achieved by working across multiple levels.

Resilience is a process of growth in the midst of adversity that results in long-term, increased well-being. It is not an end state or a trait.

Resilience requires ongoing practices to foster growth in challenging circumstances.
The process of resilience involves growing and learning.
Thus, the “bouncing back” analogy falls short – one is ultimately transformed and has new wisdom and capabilities.

To learn more, contact Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, PhD

Orphaned and Separated Youth Resilience Model to Well-being: Positive Outcomes for Orphans – A 20 Year Multi-Country Study to Interventions

Interventions include providing and scaling up manualized mental health interventions, creating new mental health interventions and work with governments to improve the quality of residential care.

Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P.A. (2006). The bioecological model of human development. Handbook of child psychology, 1-793.

To learn more, contact Kathryn Whetten, PhD

Creating Adolescent Resilience through Comprehensive Teen Pregnancy Prevention Interventions within a Positive Youth Development Framework

Evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention interventions, implemented within a positive youth development framework, can assist adolescents in building problem-solving skills, developing a
sense of self efficacy, and promoting self-worth.
Mindfulness practices and access to mental health and other support services help adolescents
develop emotional regulation, strengthen conflict resolution skills, and build a sense of agency.
Connection and meaning are vitally important to adolescents. Adolescent resilience is built
by creating purpose and understanding within strong and healthy relationships among peers,
romantic partners, caregivers, mentors, and community.
The interventions are implemented in multiple settings with youth in schools, after-school programs, juvenile justice, and foster care, thereby changing the larger environment for youth and those who care for them.

Projects

Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program (AP3)
Eastern North Carolina Health Education for Adolescents Lives (ENC-HEAL)
Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP)

Wilkins, N., Tsao, B., Hertz, M., Davis, R., Klevens, J. (2014). Connecting the Dots: An Overview of the Links Among Multiple Forms of Violence. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Oakland, CA: Prevention Institute.

To learn more, contact Genevieve Hunter or Kimberly McNeil

Structural Resilience to Minority Stress Model - Enhancing Wellness for LGBTQIA+ / HIV Communities

Items marked as * are areas of intervention for our research teams and include developing and testing interdisciplinary systems of evidence-based care, community directed interventions for wellness assessment and promotion, and educational programs to enhance reach of affirming mental health, medical care, and social supports. Resilience factors on the right can complement each other to create a more robust environment for wellness and also assist in mitigating the stress factors on the left.

Adapted from Lee et al 2024. How can we build structural resilience: Integration of social-ecological and minority stress models, American Psychologist.

To learn more, contact Susan Reif, PhD

Resilience Conceptual Framework for Research with LGBTQI+ or SGM Persons

Resilience results through the positive aspects of these variables, such as decriminalization of SGMs, higher education or positive material circumstance and providing mental health supports. Differences in resilience reservoirs are determined at every point in the model. There are biological differences at birth that can be genetic or due to differences in stress and behaviors of the mother and then is decreased and increased depending on societal determining factors such as access and availability of food, safe water and shelter, access to income, education and physical and mental health. Interventions and life experiences can build up resilience reservoirs or further deplete them.