Resilience Predicts Lower Anxiety and Depression and Greater Recovery after a Vicarious Trauma

Christophe Leys, Ilios Kotsou, Rebecca Shankland, Mathilde Firmin, Sandrine Péneau and Pierre Fossion
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Christophe Leys: Faculty of Psychological Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Ilios Kotsou: Faculty of Psychological Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Rebecca Shankland: Education and Vulnerabilities, Laboratory DIPHE (Development, Individual, Personality, Handicap, Education), Department of Psychology of Development, University Lumière Lyon 2, 69000 Lyon, France
Mathilde Firmin: Faculty of Psychological Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Sandrine Péneau: INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Sorbonne Paris Nord University, 94000 Bobigny, France
Pierre Fossion: Faculty of Psychological Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-8

Abstract: This study validated the French version of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS-F) and tested the protective role of resilience in the context of vicarious trauma (22 March 2016 terrorist attacks in Brussels) regarding anxiety and depression symptoms. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated a single-factor structure of the BRS-F. Investigation of convergent validity showed that the BRS-F was positively correlated with usual outcomes such as subjective happiness, acceptance, and sense of coherence, and negatively correlated with anxiety and depression symptoms. Lastly, the results of the study showed that resilience protected against the effect of vicarious trauma in two ways. First, at the time of exposure, the more resilient individuals reported lower levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. Second, after three months, the more resilient individuals recovered from these symptoms, whereas no significant effect was found for less resilient individuals. Theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

Keywords: resilience; vicarious trauma; brief resilience scale; French validation; anxiety; depression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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