Pathways to Resilience III: Beyond Nature vs. Nurture

Abstract #328
Dynamics of Resilience in Forced Migration: A One-Year Follow-Up Study of Longitudinal Associations With Mental Health in a Conflict-Affected Population
Presenter: Chesmal Siriwardhana  
Abstract:
Background: The concept of ‘resilience’ is of increasing interest in mental health studies in populations facing adversity. The stability of resilience levels and its associations with socio-demographic and mental health exposures were investigated in a conflict-affected, internal-migrant population.Methods: A follow-up study was conducted among Muslims displaced by conflict from Northern Sri Lanka 20 years ago but currently considering return migration. Of 450 participants interviewed at baseline in 2011, 338 (75.1%) were re-interviewed in 2012. Resilience was measured on both occasions using the 14-item Resilience Scale (RS-14), and common mental disorders using the Patient Health Questionnaire.Results: The mean resilience scores of the sample were 80.2 (95%CI 78.6-81.9) at baseline and 84.9 (83.5-86.3) at follow-up. At both time-points, lower resilience was independently associated with food insecurity, lower social support availability and social isolation. At both time-points, there were significant associations with CMD in unadjusted analyses, but the role of social confounders differed, only showing independence at baseline. Resilience was not associated with either incidence or maintenance of CMD over the follow-up period. Conclusion: In this displaced population facing a potential reduction in adversity, resilience was more strongly and robustly associated with economic/social factors than with the presence of mental disorder.