The Emerging Scientific and Clinical Literature on Resilience and Psychological First Aid

This chapter begins by defining resilience and then describes the neurobiological and psychosocial factors that are associated with it. This is followed by a discussion of possible strategies to enhance resilience. The chapter ends with comments on potential ways to reduce the probability of developing trauma-related psychopathology. Resilience is generally understood as the ability to bend but not break and to bounce back from adversity. An individual’s ability to manage and flourish under high levels of stress has far-reaching implications for physical and mental health. Chronic stress that is poorly managed can contribute to a host of illnesses, such as