Research on Resilience and Disability
Checkout this recent research publication by GSU Sociology Department and Affiliate Faculty Member of the Gerontology Institute Professor Ben Kail and colleagues:
Manning, Lydia K., Dawn C. Carr, and Ben Lennox Kail. 2014. “Do Higher Levels of Resilience Buffer the Deleterious Impact of Chronic Illness on Disability in Later Life?” The Gerontologist [published online July 25, 2014].*
Drawing a sample of 10,753 Americans between the ages of 51 and 98 from the Health and Retirement Study (2006–2010), Kail et al., via statistical analysis, explored the influence of resilience – “the ability to navigate adversity in a manner that protects well-being” – on changes in disability among the sampled participants over a 2-year period. They found that resilience “protects against increases in ADL [activities of daily living] and IADL [instrumental activities of daily living] limitations that are often associated with aging” and that it “mitigates a considerable amount of the deleterious consequences related to the onset of chronic illness and subsequent disability.” (from Abstract)
Also check out some of Dr. Kail’s related works:
- Kail, Ben Lennox and David F. Warner. (2013) “Leaving Retirement: Age-Graded Relative Risks of Transitioning Back to Work or Dying.” Population Research and Policy Review 32(2):159-182.
- Carr, Dawn C., and Ben Lennox Kail. (2013) “The Influence of Unpaid Work on the Transition Out of Full-Time Paid Work.” The Gerontologist 53(1):92-101.
- Gayman, Mattew D., Manacy Pai, Ben Lennox Kail, and Miles G. Taylor. (2013). “Reciprocity between Depressive Symptoms and Physical Limitations: Pre- and Post-Retirement: Exploring Racial Differences.” Journal of Aging and Health 25(4):555-573.*
- Kail, Ben Lennox. (2012). “Coverage or Costs: The Role of Health Insurance on Labor Market Reentry among Early Retirees.” Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences 67B (1):113-120.
*Articles note that all authors contributed equally to the studies.