title: Resilience definitions, theory, and challenges: interdisciplinary perspectives.
abstract: In this paper, inspired by the plenary panel at the 2013 meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Dr. Steven Southwick (chair) and multidisciplinary panelists Drs. George Bonanno, Ann Masten, Catherine Panter-Brick, and Rachel Yehuda tackle some of the most pressing current questions in the field of resilience research including: (1) how do we define resilience, (2) what are the most important determinants of resilience, (3) how are new technologies informing the science of resilience, and (4) what are the most effective ways to enhance resilience? These multidisciplinary experts provide insight into these difficult questions, and although each of the panelists had a slightly different definition of resilience, most of the proposed definitions included a concept of healthy, adaptive, or integrated positive functioning over the passage of time in the aftermath of adversity. The panelists agreed that resilience is a complex construct and it may be defined differently in the context of individuals, families, organizations, societies, and cultures. With regard to the determinants of resilience, there was a consensus that the empirical study of this construct needs to be approached from a multiple level of analysis perspective that includes genetic, epigenetic, developmental, demographic, cultural, economic, and social variables. The empirical study of determinates of resilience will inform efforts made at fostering resilience, with the recognition that resilience may be enhanced on numerous levels (e.g., individual, family, community, culture).
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA ; National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD), VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Southwick
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Colombia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Bonanno
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Ann S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Masten
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology & Jackson Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Panter-Brick
authors.affiliation: Division of Traumatic Stress Studies, Department of Psychiatry, James J. Peters Bronx VA and Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yehuda
keywords: Resilience; post-traumatic stress disorder; stress; trauma