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Comprehensive meta-analysis of resilience interventions
Article in Clinical Psychology Review · September 2020
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101919
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Jenny J W Liu Natalie Ein
University Health Network Ryerson University
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Julia Gervasio Mira Battaion
Ryerson University Laurentian University
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Clinical Psychology Review
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/clinpsychrev
Review
Comprehensive meta-analysis of resilience interventions
Jenny J.W. Liu, Natalie Ein, Julia Gervasio, Mira Battaion, Maureen Reed, Kristin Vickers
⁎
Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
H IGHLIGHTS
• There is no current consensus on operational definitions of resilience.
• Research continues to explore ways to enhance and/or promote resilience.
• Meta-analysis sought to substantiate evidence of resilience interventions.
• Findings lend some support for the overall efficacy of resilience interventions.
• Results should be cautiously interpreted alongside theoretical relevance.
• Variabilities in findings reflect ambiguities in resilience operationalization.
A RT ICLE INFO ABSTRACT
Keywords: Background/Rationale: There is no current consensus on operational definitions of resilience. Instead, re-
Resilience searchers often debate the optimal approach to understanding resilience, while continuing to explore ways to
Resilience intervention enhance and/or promote its qualities in various populations. The goal of the current meta-analysis is to sub-
Promoting resiliency stantiate existing evidence examining the promotion of resilience through various interventions. Particular
Meta-analysis
emphasis was placed upon the factors that contribute to variability across interventions, such as age, gender,
duration of intervention, intervention approaches and risk exposure of targeted population.
Method: The literature search was conducted on May 28, 2019. Search terms included “resilience intervention”
OR “promoting resilience” OR “promoting resiliency” OR “resilience-based intervention”. A total of 268 studies,
with 1584 independent samples, were included in the meta-analysis. In addition to overall efficacy, outcome-
based analyses were conducted for intervention outcomes based on action, biophysical, coping, emotion, resi-
lience, symptoms, and well-being. Finally, moderators of age, gender, length of intervention, intervention ap-
proach, intervention target, and the level of risk exposure of the sampled population were examined as mod-
erators.
Results: The multi-level meta-analysis indicated that resilience-promoting interventions yielded a small, but
statistically significant overall effect, Hedges's g = 0.48 (SE = 0.04, 95% CI = [0.40, 0.56]. The variability in
study effect sizes within and between studies was significant, p < .001, with many falling short of the threshold
for practical significance.
Discussion: Findings lend some support for the overall efficacy of resilience interventions. However, empirical
results should be cautiously interpreted in tandem with their theoretical relevance and potential advancements
to the construct of resilience. Variabilities across findings reflect the current ambiguities surrounding the con-
ceptualization and operationalization of resilience. Directions for future research on resilience as well as prac-
tical considerations are discussed.
1. Background resiliency in trauma-exposed children (Masten, Best, & Garmezy, 1990),
to the identification of resilient factors across various populations and
Resilience is regarded as an important aspect of health and well- settings (Southwick, Bonanno, Masten, Panter-Brick, & Yehuda, 2014).
being. To date, the construct of resilience has undergone various phases Research in resiliency encompasses positive and negative aspects that
of transformative discoveries, ranging from observed presence of shape, influence, or foster resilience within the individual and
⁎
Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada
E-mail address: [email protected] (K. Vickers).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101919
Received 21 August 2019; Received in revised form 13 August 2020; Accepted 8 September 2020
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