Health Journalism Glossary

Resilience

  • Health Equity

The ability to recover or “bounce back” from difficult situations or challenging circumstances. Such capacity could be at an individual level or a collective one such as a local community. The power to respond to certain challenges such as stressors, crises or other conditions can play a role in both mental and physical health. It is also contributes to one’s overall well-being. Factors that could potentially influence resilience include social networks, adaptability and interventional actions, among others. However, resilience “is not a trait that people either have or do not have. It involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed,” according to the American Psychological Association.

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