Resilience of people with a history of mental disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international 2-years longitudinal prospective study

Abstract

Abstract Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, the global population was exposed to a significant psychological distress, however, subgroups of vulnerable individuals proved resilient throughout the pandemic. This study aims to identify predictors of long-term, sustained resilience among people with a history of mental disorder during the first two years of the pandemic. Methods In this international 2-year, 5-wave longitudinal online survey, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and the PTSD Checklist DSM-5 were used for a proxy measure of psychological distress. As possible predictors of sustained resilience, we investigated socio-demographic characteristics, economic and housing status, pandemic-related issues, chronic diseases, social support, fear of contamination and personal values which were investigated respectively through the Oslo Social Support Scale, the Padua Inventory, and the Portrait Values Questionnaire. Data were analysed with a Mover-Stayer Latent Transition Analysis model. Results Nine-hundred and forty-three participants with a mental disorder were included in the analysis. Variables associated with a higher chance of sustained resilience were older age, maintaining a job, and having more people in the household. In contrast, female gender, losing job, difficulty in meeting basic needs, higher fear of contamination, hedonism, less social support and loneliness resulted in a lower likelihood of being sustained resilient. Conclusion This study identified factors that predict sustained resilience in people with mental disorders. The newly discovered predictors of sustained resilience could prove invaluable in developing strategies to enhance the resilience of people with mental disorders during times of crises, such as pandemics.