An exploratory comparison of resilience profiles of Swiss older adult survivors of child welfare‐related maltreatment and controls

Child welfare practices in the last century have been linked to a high risk for child maltreatment and the subsequent development of mental ill‐health. However, not all affected individuals develop clinically relevant psychopathology, which can be considered as a form of resilience. Such resilience is insufficiently understood in survivors of an advanced age. Therefore, this exploratory study aimed to depict a resilience profile of Swiss older adult survivors of child welfare‐related maltreatment (n = 132; M (age) = 71 years) and to contrast it with age‐matched controls (n = 125). Approximately 30% of survivors did not meet the diagnostic criteria for any of the assessed current or lifetime DSM‐5 disorders. These survivors were older, experienced less physical abuse, and had higher trait resilience, self‐esteem, income, and satisfaction with their socio‐economic status. They had lower levels of neuroticism and some empathy characteristics. Group differences in the resilience profiles suggest that resilience‐related aspects may vary as a function of past adversity.