Psychological Resilience and the Onset of Activity of Daily Living Disability among Older Adults in China: A Nationwide Longitudinal Analysis

Yiqing Yang, University of Utah
Ming Wen, University of Utah

Little research has explored the influence of psychological resilience on the onset of Activity of Daily Living (ADL) disability in the developing countries and no interaction effect of resilience with age on disability is tested in the literature. Using a sample of 11,112 older adults from two waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) (2002-2005), the current study finds that higher levels of psychological resilience (measured by a five-item scale) at the baseline are significantly associated with reduced risk of becoming ADL disabled during the 3-year follow up period, independent of socio-demographic characteristics, family support, and health status. Moreover, this association varies by age. Higher levels of resilience are more beneficial for the younger-old (aged 65-84) than the oldest-old (aged 85 and over).