Definitions of resilience and resilience resource use as described by adults with congenital heart disease
Jill M. Steiner, Erin Abu‐Rish Blakeney, Andrea Corage Baden, Vea Freeman, Joyce P. Yi‐Frazier, J. Randall Curtis, Ruth A. Engelberg, Abby R. Rosenberg
Abstract
Background: Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) is a lifelong illness that presents ongoing challenges to quality of life. Fostering personal resilience resources to sustain well-being can enhance patients' psychosocial health. Objective: We aimed to describe patients' resilience experiences: how they understand, develop, and utilize resilience resources in managing ACHD. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study of patients with ACHD. Participants were recruited using maximum variation sampling. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted June 2020 to August 2021. We queried approaches to managing ACHD-related stress and experiences with resilience and analyzed responses with thematic analysis. Results: Participant (N = 25) median age was 32 years (range 22-44); 52% identified as female and 72% non-Hispanic white. Participants' anatomic ACHD was moderate (56%) or complex (44%); physiologically, 76% were functional class C or D. Participants described various resilience resources, which map to an established resilience framework: 1) internal resources: maintaining positivity, self-directed activity, and setting goals; 2) external resources: social support; 3) existential resources: purpose, gratitude, and cultivating health. Even among participants who reported feeling unfamiliar (8/25) with the term "resilience," all participants shared experiences reflecting resilience developed while living with ACHD. Conclusion: ACHD-relevant resilience resources may help patients and clinicians navigate ACHD-related stress and promote psychosocial well-being.