What is this about?

This edition of Connections provides a recently released, very useful, 80-page report on the level of resilience among U.S children and youth, their parents and the U.S. work force.  The effects of COVID-19 on the resilience of both populations are included and the report uses a survey methodology to establish a baseline measure called the Cigna Resilience Index.  A large amount of data is provided on multiple aspects of resilience of children and youth and working adults based on a sample size of N=16,500+ using the 17 question Children and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM) and the 17 question Adult Resilience Measure (ARM) developed by the Resilience Research Center.

These instruments allow differentiation among low, moderate and high resilience as defined below:

Low resilience: Individuals with low resilience have trouble staying focused on their strengths, and generally lack the support they need to cope with unexpected stress. People with low resilience not only perceive few opportunities and are less optimistic about the future, but also they don’t enjoy the psychological, social, economic and institutional resources that make success possible.

Moderate resilience: Individuals who are moderately resilient have some of the skills they need to cope but occasionally doubt their ability to overcome challenges as challenges increase in intensity. The sources of support they enjoy are available but tend to be inconsistent or fragile. People who are moderately resilient can cope well under some circumstances but become stressed as situations change and they need new personal skills and social supports.

High resilience: Individuals with high resilience show a robust constellation of personal qualities that let them flexibly take on stressful situations as they arise. They also have in place the social and institutional supports they need to deal with bad times, or the ability to find new resources when the situation demands a different set of supports.

Why is this important?

This document is important for three major reasons.  First, this report provides employee wellness professionals with a reproducible methodology for measuring the level of resilience of both family and working populations which represents an important current need for virtually all employers. Second, the report provides comparison data on the level of resilience for both family and working populations, expanding considerably our population health management capability and third, based on recent insights into the diminished health of American workers (See Connections newsletter #180), addresses directly the mental health and mental well-being of our employee workforce.

What can you do with this document?

• First, download and skim the report to get a sense of the methodology and major findings.
• Next, develop a set of possible programming activities that address these issues.
• Next, determine how appropriate the proposed methodology for measuring resilience would be for use with your population.
• Then, determine which mental health and mental well-being targets the program should address and the companion interventions you are recommending.
• Then, plan your evaluation of the interventions you are proposing.
• Then, carry out the programming and the evaluation plan and report back to senior management on the findings from your use of the survey methodology.
• Finally, propose additional resilience building activities for the next program cycle.

In summary, this recent comprehensive report and methodology from Cigna provides a useful formative and comparative methodology for addressing resilience in working populations. For a number of reasons, it is important for working Americans in this pandemic era and for the future of our efforts to enhance the resilience of employees and their family members.