Mental resilience could be the key to living for longer, according to a new study published in the BMJ Mental Health Journal.
The study, conducted by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Sun Yat-sen University in China, assessed data from 10,500 American adults whose average age was 66.
The participants were each scored on their mental resilience and split into four groups depending on the level of their resilience. Researchers found that the more mental resilience someone possessed, the longer they tended to live.
On average, after other factors had been taken into account, those who were mentally tougher were found to be 38 percent less at risk of death.
The Times reported that researchers proposed the reason for this difference was that “good coping skills can help offset the negative impact of long-term conditions and subsequent disability”.
However, the researchers countered: “However, individuals differ in their ability to overcome and adapt to adversity, with some exhibiting resilience while others struggle.”
The results of the study come as mental resilience, particularly of young people, is in the spotlight after health experts warned about an alarming surge in younger generations suffering poor mental health.
Research from The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on youth mental health has led to a flood of calls for more work to be done to help young people, and address the sharp rise in the number of patients suffering from mental health conditions.
The paper warned that “mental ill health” has now “entered a dangerous phase” and poses “a major threat to the lives and futures of young people”.
Leader of the research, psychiatrist professor Patrick McGorry has claimed that this youth mental health crisis is “the most serious public health problem we’ve got”, and claimed: “If the rapid deterioration in health was happening in any other health area, like diabetes or cancer, there would be dramatic actions taken by governments.”
The Guardian reported that Professor McGorry highlighted just how much pressure the likes of Zillennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are under. He said: “It may appear on the surface that previous generations had it more difficult, given the Great Depression, world wars and nuclear threats.
“But actually, there’s much less security and hope for the future surrounding the current generation than ever before. The challenges today’s generation of young people face are unprecedented, they’re devastating, and they’re worse than they’ve ever been.”
