Resilience through a multisystemic perspective: analyzing individual, family, and community systems

Abstract

In this article, we approach resilience from a multisystemic point of view in which individual, family, and community characteristics play a part. The main goal of the study is to analyze how the different systems of resilience (individual, family, and community) work in times of uncertainty and great societal challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study uses a mixed methods approach with a sample of 1,436 Spaniards during the COVID-19 crisis. After grouping the descriptions of their living experiences into positive and negative, the study builds and operationalizes the different systems of resilience. Furthermore, the study uses structural equation modeling to analyze the role of each system on how individuals face the future in a situation of uncertainty. The study indicates that family resilience, followed by individual and community resilience, helps individuals to face the future with high optimism. In contrast, individual resilience helps to face the future with less pessimism. In addition, all systems of resilience—individual, family, and community—significantly impact an optimistic view of the future through the mediation of positivity. Our article contributes to the ongoing debates regarding the role of resilience in building a stronger society that is capable of facing challenges and recovering from adversity.