Resilience development strategies of the chronically ill: theoretical insight

Several quantitative studies show, that people who are living with incurable chronic illnesses have a higher risk of depression and social disengagement. However, some of them are more resilient than others and show a higher level of well-being. A literature review was undertaken to aggregate the resilience development strategies, mentioned in the qualitative studies about the resilience of the chronically ill and examine, what factors affect these strategies and how these strategies change over time. The main keywords (patients with chronic illness, resilience, strategies, qualitative studies) were selected according to PCC (Participants/Concept/Context) framework. PubMed, PsychInfo, and Scopus databases were searched, and after the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 21 articles were included in the literature review. The research shows that chronically ill people use several resilience development strategies like learning new skills, having a positive mindset, spiritual practice, help acceptance, promotion of a healthy lifestyle, and others. The choice of strategies depends on people's life history, beliefs, self-efficacy, perceptions of illness, and gained experience while living with chronic illness. Different strategies can be used in different phases of illness and also resilience changes during the time.