Resilience and Aging: Lessons from Veterans

Psychological resilience is a complex phenomenon that is multidimensional and dynamic in nature. According to the American Psychological Association, resilience is “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats and even significant sources of stress.” This session will address resilience as it relates to older veterans from several perspectives. Steven Southwick, M.D. will introduce the construct of resilience, discuss biopsychosocial factors associated with resilience, and present results of a recent qualitative study of resilience in a national sample of U.S.