What is resilience?

Beth yw gwydnwch?

Equality

Throughout our lifetimes, human beings experience varying degrees of trauma, loss or adversity. In the face of these challenges, most people show a remarkable capacity to ‘bounce back’ and rise above the difficulties. This ability is called resilience.

Resilience is defined as 'the ability to overcome serious hardship' (Public Health Wales, 2018). It is characterised by an ability to cope with and adapt to difficult life circumstances. Our resilience is influenced by multiple factors – some are internal (e.g. personality traits), others are external (e.g. social circumstances).

Drwy gydol ein hoes, mae bodau dynol yn profi gwahanol raddau o drawma, colled neu adfyd. Yn wyneb yr heriau hyn, mae'r rhan fwyaf o bobl yn dangos gallu eithriadol i ‘fownsio'n ôl’ a chodi uwchlaw'r anawsterau. ‘Gwydnwch’ yw’r enw ar y gallu hwn.

Mae gwydnwch yn cael ei ddiffinio fel 'y gallu i oresgyn profiadau anodd iawn' (Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, 2018). Mae'n cael ei nodweddu gan allu i ymdopi ag amgylchiadau anodd mewn bywyd ac i addasu iddyn nhw. Mae llawer o ffactorau yn dylanwadu ar ein gwydnwch – mae rhai yn fewnol (e.e. nodweddion personoliaeth), mae eraill yn allanol (e.e. amgylchiadau cymdeithasol).

What is resilience?

Beth yw gwydnwch?

A teenager with their head in their hands

The word 'resilience' describes the capacity of something or someone to ‘bounce back’ from stressors. A material’s resilience is indicated by its elasticity. Physical resilience is indicated by an ability to recover from illness and injury. Institutional resilience can be indicated by its ability to recover from financial stress (Levine, 2003).

Resilience is like the elasticity of a rubber band. A strong rubber band can withstand being pulled and wrapped around different objects to hold them together. It is very resilient to being stretched and changed. When an elastic band loses its elasticity and is put under stress (pulled and stretched), it is less resilient and more often than not, the band breaks.

In this section, resilience refers to emotional resilience, characterised by an individual’s capacity to cope with and adapt to difficult circumstances or adversity.

Being resilient does not mean to never experience emotional distress or challenging times. In fact, resilience becomes most apparent during significant challenges. When researchers began studying the concept of resilience, they looked to children who had experienced multiple difficulties in their lives, such as poverty, bullying or neglect. Some children appeared to have an ability to carry on with great success, developing fulfilling lives despite their childhood difficulties (Southwick et al., 2014).

Resilience is a characteristic that everyone has to some degree. It is characterised by:

  • a capacity to make realistic plans and carry them out
  • self-confidence and positive self-image
  • communication and problem-solving abilities
  • ability to manage strong emotions and urges.

Mae'r gair 'gwydnwch' yn disgrifio gallu rhywbeth neu rywun i 'fownsio'n ôl' o bethau sy’n achosi straen. Nodweddir gwydnwch deunydd gan ei elastigedd. Nodweddir gwydnwch corfforol gan allu i adfer ar ôl salwch ac anaf. Gall gwydnwch sefydliadol gael ei nodweddu gan ei allu i adfer ar ôl straen ariannol (Levine, 2003).

Mae gwydnwch fel elastigedd band rwber. Gall band rwber cryf wrthsefyll cael ei dynnu a'i lapio o amgylch gwahanol wrthrychau i'w dal at ei gilydd. Mae mor wydn gall wrthsefyll cael ei dynnu a'i newid. Pan fydd band elastig yn torri ei elastigedd ac yn cael ei roi o dan straen (ei dynnu a'i ymestyn), mae'n llai gwydn ac yn amlach na pheidio, mae'r band yn torri.

Yn yr adran hon, mae gwydnwch yn cyfeirio at wydnwch emosiynol, a nodweddir gan allu unigolyn i ymdopi ag anawsterau anodd neu adfyd, ac i addasu i'r rhain.

Nid yw bod yn wydn yn golygu peidio byth â phrofi trallod emosiynol neu amseroedd heriol. Mewn gwirionedd, daw gwydnwch yn fwyaf amlwg yn ystod heriau sylweddol. Pan ddechreuodd ymchwilwyr astudio'r cysyniad o wydnwch, aethon nhw ati i edrych ar blant oedd wedi profi anawsterau lluosog yn eu bywydau, fel tlodi, bwlio neu esgeulustod. Roedd yn ymddangos bod gan rai plant y gallu i fynd yn eu blaenau yn llwyddiannus iawn, gan ddatblygu bywydau llawn er gwaethaf anawsterau eu plentyndod (Southwick et al., 2014).

Mae gwydnwch yn nodwedd sydd gan bawb i ryw raddau. Fe'i nodweddir gan:

  • y gallu i wneud cynlluniau realistig a'u cyflawni
  • hunan-hyder a hunanddelwedd gadarnhaol
  • y gallu i gyfathrebu a datrys problemau
  • y gallu i reoli emosiynau a chymhellion.

How does resilience affect well-being?

Sut mae gwydnwch yn effeithio ar lesiant?

A young woman jogging

Resilience and well-being are closely interlinked, both being partially defined as an ability to cope with challenges. Emotional resilience is sometimes used in research as an indicator of well-being, meaning that high emotional resilience scores indicate high levels of well-being.

Conversely, poor emotional resilience has been associated with common mental health difficulties, such as depression and anxiety. People with low levels of resilience may find it difficult to cope with difficult life circumstances which can have further negative effects on mental health and well-being (Denny et al., 2010).

Strategies for enhancing resilience are often closely related to promoting those factors which also enhance well-being, such as positive social connections (Levine, 2003). In this way, enhancing resilience can contribute to improving overall well-being.

Mae cydgysylltiad agos rhwng gwydnwch a llesiant, ac mae'r ddau yn cael eu diffinio'n rhannol fel gallu i ymdopi â heriau. Bydd gwydnwch emosiynol weithiau yn cael ei ddefnyddio mewn gwaith ymchwil fel dangosydd o lesiant, gan olygu fod sgoriau gwydnwch emosiynol uchel yn arwydd o lefelau llesiant uchel.

Ar y llaw arall, mae gwydnwch emosiynol gwael wedi cael ei gysylltu ag anawsterau iechyd meddwl cyffredin, fel iselder a gorbryder. Gall pobl â lefelau gwydnwch isel ei chael hi'n anodd ymdopi ag amgylchiadau anodd mewn bywyd a gall hyn gael effeithiau negyddol ychwanegol ar iechyd meddwl a llesiant (Denny et al., 2010).

Mae cysylltiad agos yn aml rhwng strategaethau i wella gwydnwch a hybu'r ffactorau hynny sydd hefyd yn gwella llesiant, fel cysylltiadau cymdeithasol cadarnhaol (Levine, 2003). Fel hyn, gall gwella gwydnwch gyfrannu at wella llesiant cyffredinol.

What influences our resilience?

Beth sy’n dylanwadu ar ein gwydnwch?

The factors that impact resilience can be roughly divided into two categories – internal and external factors.

Internal factors include characteristics that are unique to the individual, regardless of the external circumstances. These could be personality, genetics, as well as beliefs and values (Stein et al., 2009). There are many positive internal factors that we can develop further in ourselves, including (Reyes & Elias., 2011):

  • social skills
  • self-awareness
  • optimism
  • sense of humour
  • productivity
  • recreation
  • purpose and planning
  • internal locus of control.

Gall y ffactorau sy'n effeithio ar wydnwch gael eu rhannu'n fras yn ddau gategori – ffactorau mewnol ac allanol.

Mae ffactorau mewnol yn cynnwys nodweddion sy'n unigryw i'r unigolyn, beth bynnag yw'r amgylchiadau allanol. Gall y rhain gynnwys personoliaeth, geneteg, yn ogystal â chredoau a gwerthoedd (Stein et al., 2009). Mae llawer o effeithiau cadarnhaol mewnol y gallwn eu datblygu ymhellach o fewn ein hunain, gan gynnwys (Reyes ac Elias, 2011):

  • sgiliau cymdeithasol
  • hunanymwybyddiaeth
  • optimistiaeth
  • synnwyr digrifwch
  • cynhyrchedd
  • hamdden
  • pwrpas a chynllunio
  • locws rheolaeth fewnol.

What influences our resilience?

Beth sy’n dylanwadu ar ein gwydnwch?

A group of people in silhouette jumping in celebration

External factors can include social and economic circumstances that surround the individual, including their social and physical environment. External risk factors can include traumatic events, such as witnessing a terrorist attack or mass act of violence (Tucker et al., 2007). These external factors are particularly influential during childhood (Southwick et al., 2014).

Even the most resilient person can experience a traumatic event that threatens their resilience. For this reason, understanding and building protective factors into everyday life can strengthen resilience, even in the face of great tragedy.

Gall ffactorau allanol gynnwys amgylchiadau cymdeithasol ac economaidd sy'n amgylchynu'r unigolyn, gan gynnwys ei amgylchedd cymdeithasol a ffisegol. Gall ffactorau risg allanol gynnwys digwyddiadau trawmatig, fel bod yn dyst i ymosodiad terfysgol neu weithred dreisiol dorfol (Tucker at al., 2007). Mae'r ffactorau allanol hyn yn hynod o ddylanwadol yn ystod plentyndod (Southwick, et al., 2014).

Gall hyd yn oed yr unigolyn mwyaf gwydn brofi digwyddiad trawmatig sy'n bygwth ei wydnwch. Oherwydd hyn, gall deall a meithrin ffactorau amddiffynnol mewn bywyd bob dydd gryfhau gwydnwch, hyd yn oed yn wyneb trasiedi enfawr.

What influences our resilience?

Drag the factors to the correct columns.

Beth sy’n dylanwadu ar ein gwydnwch?

Llusgwch y ffactorau i’r colofnau cywir.



      References

      Cyfeiriadau

      American Psychological Association: APA. Road to Resilience [Accessed online 09.06.2018] http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx

      Denny, S., Fleming, T., Clark, T. C. & Wall, M. (2010). Emotional resilience: risk and protective factors for depression among alternative education students in New Zealand. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 74(2).

      Levine, S. (2003). Psychological and social aspects of resilience: a synthesis of risks and resources. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 5(3), pp:273-280

      Maslow (1943) Hierarchy of Needs Available at https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html Accessed 7.18

      Public Health Wales (2018) Sources of resilience and their moderating relationships with harms from adverse childhood experiences. Available at https://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents/888/ACE & Resilience Report (Eng_final2).pdf Accessed 7.18

      Reyes., J. A. & Elias, M. J. (2011). Fostering social-emotional resilience among Latino youth. Psychology in the Schools, 48(7), pp: 649-765.

      Southwick, S., Bonnano, G. A., Masten, A. S., Panter-Brick, C. & Yehuda, R. (2014). Resilience definitions, theory and challenges: interdisciplinary perspectives. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 5: 25338.

      Stein, M. B., Campbell-Sills, L. & Gelernter, J. (2009). Genetic variation in 5HTTLPR is associated with emotional resilience. American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B (150B): 900-906.

      Tucker, P., Pfefferbaum, B., North, C. S., Kent, A., Burgin, C. E., Parker, D. E., Hossain, A., Jeon-Slaughter, H. & Trautman, R. P. (2007). Physiologic reactivity despite emotional resilience several years after direct exposure to terrorism. The American Journal of Psychiatry, [accessed online: 19.06.2018] https://bit.ly/2JWemPC

      American Psychological Association: APA. Road to Resilience [Cyrchwyd 09.06.2018] http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx

      Denny, S., Fleming, T., Clark, T. C. & Wall, M. (2010). Emotional resilience: risk and protective factors for depression among alternative education students in New Zealand. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 74(2).

      Levine, S. (2003). Psychological and social aspects of resilience: a synthesis of risks and resources. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 5(3), pp:273-280

      Maslow (1943) Hierarchy of Needs Ar gael o: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html [Cyrchwyd 07.2018]

      Public Health Wales (2018) Sources of resilience and their moderating relationships with harms from adverse childhood experiences. Ar gael o: https://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents/888/ACE & Resilience Report (Eng_final2).pdf [Cyrchwyd 7.2018]

      Reyes., J. A. & Elias, M. J. (2011). Fostering social-emotional resilience among Latino youth. Psychology in the Schools, 48(7), pp: 649-765.

      Southwick, S., Bonnano, G. A., Masten, A. S., Panter-Brick, C. & Yehuda, R. (2014). Resilience definitions, theory and challenges: interdisciplinary perspectives. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 5: 25338.

      Stein, M. B., Campbell-Sills, L. & Gelernter, J. (2009). Genetic variation in 5HTTLPR is associated with emotional resilience. American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B (150B): 900-906.

      Tucker, P., Pfefferbaum, B., North, C. S., Kent, A., Burgin, C. E., Parker, D. E., Hossain, A., Jeon-Slaughter, H. & Trautman, R. P. (2007). Physiologic reactivity despite emotional resilience several years after direct exposure to terrorism. The American Journal of Psychiatry, [Cyrchwyd: 19.06.2018] https://bit.ly/2JWemPC