Trait resilience among Nigerian adults: the role of psychological distress, social support and mindfulness

Abstract

Background: Resilience is a personal strength that reduces harm from adversity and mediated wellbeing by promoting positive and personal psychosocial ability. Such promotive activity termed ‘saliostasis’ had  been fostered through psychotropic medications, positive social support and mindfulness practices. The present study aimed to add to the few study on resilience in Nigerian adults by examining the role of psychological distress, social support and mindfulness in fostering resilience.

Methods: A total of 192 adults in Kaduna participated in the study. All of them filled the researchers’ selfdeveloped 4-item socio-demographic questionnaire, 25-item resilience scale (RS), 14-item hospital anxiety depression scale (HADS), the 3-item Oslo social support scale and the 14-item Frieburg mindfulness inventory. Ethical approval was received from the ethical board of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Barnawa-Kaduna.

Results: The screened prevalence of psychological distress as measured by hospital anxiety depression scale was 63.00% and 54.70% respectively for depression and anxiety. Half of the participants (50.50%) had low resilience scores and another 46.40% had low social support score. Resilience was negatively correlated with psychological distress and positively associated with social support and mindfulness. The correlations were significant for psychological distress and mindfulness. Participants high on resilience reported significantly low depression score and high mindfulness practices. Anxiety and social support did not significantly contribute to the resilience characteristics of the study participants.

Conclusion: This study adds to existing study on resilience among adult Nigerian and identified low depression score and high mindfulness practice as two variables that can foster high resilience among them. These variables can be manipulated among adult Nigerians to boost their resilience and consequently wellbeing.

Keywords: Trait resilience; Adult Nigerians; Psychological distress; Social support; Mindfulness