Psychological Resilience to the Challenges of Physical Aging in Older U.S. Veterans: Results From the 2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Objectives: To employ a novel analytic approach to quantify psychological resilience to physical health difficulties and identify factors associated with greater resilience in older U.S. veterans.

Methods: Data from a nationally representative sample of older U.S. military veterans (N = 3,001), who participated in the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study were analyzed to develop the Psychological Resilience Against Physical Difficulties Index (PRAPDI). Multiple regression and relative importance analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with greater PRAPDI scores.

Results: Secure attachment style [17.3% relative variance explained (RVE)], mindfulness [16.6% RVE], and purpose in life [15.0% RVE] emerged as the strongest correlates of PRAPDI scores.

Conclusion: Intervention strategies aimed at fostering mindfulness, attachment security, and purpose in life may help promote psychological resilience to the challenges of physical aging in older veterans.