Resilience predicting psychiatric symptoms: A prospective study of protective factors and their role in adjustment to stressful life events

Objective. The purpose of this prospective study was to explore the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) as a predictor for developing psychiatric symptoms when exposed to stressful life events. Methods. A healthy sample (N = 159) completed the RSA, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) and the occurrence of Stressful Life Events (SLE) twice, with a three-month interval. Results. The results indicated that the RSA measures important protective factors that buffer the development of psychiatric symptoms when individuals encounter stressful life events. Two of the RSA factors, in particular, contributed to buffering the development of psychiatric symptoms. Conclusion. The findings suggest that the RSA is a significant predictor of mental health and a useful tool for further research examining individual differences in stress tolerance. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.