Correlates of psychological resilience and risk: Prospective associations of self‐reported and relative resilience with Connor‐Davidson resilience scale, heart rate variability, and mental health indices

BACKGROUND: There are several ways to determine psychological resilience. However, the correlation between each measurement is not clear. We explored associations of baseline relative “resilience” and risk with later self‐reported trait resilience and other biological/mental health indices. METHODS: We utilized baseline and follow‐up survey data from 500 participants aged 30–64 in the community cohort. Baseline “relative” resilience was defined by: (a) negative life events (NLEs) in the six months before baseline and (b) depressive symptoms at baseline, yielding four groups of individuals: i) “Unexposed and well,” “Vulnerable (depression),” “Reactive (depression),” and “Resilient.” “Trait” resilience at follow‐up was self‐reported using the Connor‐Davidson Resilience Scale (CD‐RISC). Associations between relative resilience at baseline, CD‐RISC, and heart rate variability (HRV) indices at follow‐up were assessed with generalized linear regression models after adjustments. Associations between baseline resilience and subsequent loneliness/depression indices were also evaluated. RESULTS: Overall trait resilience and its subfactors at follow‐up showed strong negative associations with “Reactive” at baseline (adj‐β for total CD‐RISC score: −11.204 (men), −9.472 (women)). However, resilience at baseline was not associated with later HRV, which was compared with the significant positive association observed between CD‐RISC and HRV at the same follow‐up time point. The “Reactive” exhibited significantly increased depressive symptoms at follow‐up. The overall distribution pattern of CD‐RISC subfactors differed by baseline resilience status by sex. CONCLUSIONS: The “relative” resilience based on the absence of depression despite prior adversity seems to be highly related with trait resilience at follow‐up but not with HRV. The sub‐factor pattern of CD‐RISC was different by sex.