This paper examines the multi-dimensional nature of resiliency to risk in mental health, and tests regression models of differential resiliency, based on two hospital- based clinical research projects. The first project involves adult children of problem drinkers, individuals who are at greater risk to alcohol abuse given their parents' pathology. The second involves schizophrenics diagnosed with varying disposi tions to depression. The analyses reveal that for both adult children of problem drinkers and for schizophrenics, individuals have varying degrees of susceptibility to adversity and that these variations are based, to a large degree, on psychosocial concerns. Furthermore, the results show quite clearly that men and women suffer to varying degrees when exposed to the same kinds of adversity, and that the causal origins of resiliency are different for men and women.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Andreasen, N.C. (1986) The Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS). Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa.
2.
Andreasen, N.C. & Olsen, S. (1982) Negative versus positive symptoms in schizophrenia . Archives of General Psychiatry,39, 789-794.
3.
Bates, J.E. (1986) The measurement of temperament. In The Study of Temperament: Changes, Continuities and Challenges (eds. R. Plomin & J. Dunn). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
4.
Bleuler, M. (1978) The Schizophrenic Disorders: Long-term Patient and Family Studies. New Haven: Yale University Press.
5.
Brown, G.W., Harris, A.T., Adler, Z. & Bridge, L. (1986) Social support, self-esteem and depression. Psychological Medicine, 16, 813-831.
6.
Carroll, B.J., Feinberg, M., Greden, J. & Tarika, J.J. (1981) A specific laboratory test for the diagnosis of melancholia. Archives of General Psychiatry,38, 15-22.
Gardner, P. & Dei, T.P.S. (1981) Depression and self-esteem: an investigation that used behavioral and cognitive approaches to the treatment of clinically depressed clients. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 37, 128-135.
9.
Garmezy, N. (1985) Stress-resistant children: the search for protective factors. Recent Research in Developmental Psychopathology, Book Supplement No. 4 to Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Oxford : Pergamon Press.
10.
Harris, J.G. (1975) An abbreviated form of the Philips Rating Scale of Premorbid Adjustment in Schizophrenia. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 84, 129-137.
11.
Ingham, J.G., Kreitman, N.B., Miller, P.M., Sashidharan, S.P. & Surtees, G. (1986) Self-esteem, vulnerability and psychiatric disorder in the community. British Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 3775-3785.
12.
Jackson, P.R. & Warr, P.B. (1984) Unemployment and psychological ill-health: the moderating role of duration and age. Psychological Medicine , 14, 605-614.
13.
Johnson, D.A.W. (1986) Depressive symptoms in schizophrenia: some observations on the frequency, morbidity and possible causes. In Contemporary Issues of Schizophrenia (eds. A. Kerr & P. Straith). London: Gaskell.
14.
Jones, J.W. (1981) The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST). Chicago: Family Recovery Press.
15.
Latcham, R.W. (1981) Familial alcoholism: evidence from 237 alcoholics . British Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 54-57.
16.
Lloyd, C. (1980) Life events and depressive disorder reviewed: I Events as precipitating Factors. II Events as predisposing factors. Archives of General Psychiatry, 37, 52948.
17.
Masten, A.S. & Garmezy, N. (1985) Risk, vulnerability, and protective factors in developmental psychopathology. In Advances in Clinical Child Psychology (eds. B.B. Lahey & A.E. Kazdin). New York : Plenum Press.
18.
McFarlane, A. (1988) Recent life events and psychiatric disorder in children: the interaction with preceding extreme adversity. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 5, 65-67.
19.
Mechanic, D. (1986) Some relationships between psychiatry and the social sciences. British Journal of Psychiatry, 149, 548-553.
20.
Pedhazur, E.J. (1982) Multiple Regression in Behavioural Research: Explanation and Prediction. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
21.
Rutter, M. (1987) Psychosocial resilience and protective mechanisms . American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 57:3, 316-331.
22.
Rutter, M. (1985) Resilience in the face of adversity. British Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 598-611.
23.
Rydelius, Per-Anders (1984) Children of alcoholic fathers - a longitudinal prospective study. In Longitudinal Research in Alcoholism (eds. Donald W. Goodwin, Katherine Teilmann van Dusen & Sarnoff Mednick). Boston: Kluwer-Nijhoff Publishing.
24.
Seeman, M.V. (1986) Current outcome in schizophrenia: women versus men. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 73, 609-617.
25.
Selzer, M.L. (1971) The Michigan Alcoholism Scoring Test: the quest for a new scoring instrument. American Journal of Psychiatry,127, 1653-1658.
26.
Shur, E. (1982) Family history and schizophrenia: characteristics of groups with and without positive family history. Psychological Medicine, 12, 591-594.
27.
Thoits, P.A. (1982) Conceptual, methodological and theoretical problems in studying social support as a buffer against life stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 23, 145-159.
28.
Watt, D.C., Katz, K. & Shepard, M. (1983) The natural history of schizophrenia: a five year prospective follow-up of a representative sample of schizophrenics by means of a standardized clinical and social assessment. Psychological Medicine, 13, 663-670.
29.
Werner, E. (1986) Resilient offspring of alcoholics: a longitudinal study from birth to age 18. Journal of Studies on Alcohol , 47, 34-40.
30.
Wilsnak, S.C. (1976) The impact of sex roles on women's alcohol use and abuse. In Alcoholism Problems in Women and Children (eds. Milton Greenblatt & Marc A. Schuckit). New York: Grune & Stratton.
31.
Wing, J.K., Cooper, J.E. & Sartorius, N.H. (1974) The Measurement and Classification of Psychiatric Symptoms. London: Cambridge University Press.
