Resilience and well-being: the influence of resilience on individual psychological well-being.

Background The concept of resilience has a significant impact on individual functioning, and it refers to the ability to confront and overcome traumatic events or periods of difficulty. Resilience is not an innate trait, but rather a skill that can be developed and strengthened over time, and literature highlighted the correlation between this element and individual psychological well-being. Aims The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of several individual variables on resilience and individual psychological well-being, and to examine the influence of resilience on individual psychological well-being. Methods The analysis is based on a survey conducted in 2018 on a statistically representative sample of the Italian population (n = 1,500). To assess the correlation between resilience and individual subjective well-being (SWB), two instruments were used: the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC10) and the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI). Both instruments have been previously validated for their psychometric properties, demonstrating strong reliability and validity. Data were analyzed using firstly a univariate analysis, secondly ANN - Artificial Neural Networks techniques and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted in order to accurately quantify the contribution of resilience and socio-demographic variables to the prediction of Psychological General Well-Being (PGWBI). Results The results indicate that resilience ranks first among the factors influencing individual psychological well-being (r = 0.41), surpassing comorbidity, which is typically considered the most significant variable in relation to well-being (r = -0.28). Furthermore, ANN and hierarchical multiple regression show how resilience emerges as the strongest predictor of psychological well-being, accounting for a larger proportion of explained variance than socio-demographic characteristics, cultural resources, and health status. Conclusion The research reveals how resilience is the major determinants of individual psychological well-being. Although health status remained an important predictor, resilience showed the largest unique contribution to well-being, suggesting that individuals' adaptive capacities may be more influential than many socio-demographic characteristics.