Exploring Parents' Resilience: A 6-Year Look

Scientists set out to understand how parents' resilience changes or stays the same over six years. They also wanted to see if this trait could shield them from mental health issues during tough times. The study took place in Finland, using data from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. Over 2, 000 parents filled out a resilience questionnaire during pregnancy and again six years later. The researchers found that parents who started out with high or low resilience tended to stay that way. Trait resilience during pregnancy was a good predictor of resilience six years later.Interestingly, tough life events didn't affect this link. More resilient parents also dealt with fewer mental health issues. However, the study noted that tough events can impact people differently and that their sample didn't include many who faced frequent tough events. Overall, resilience seems to stick around and helps protect mental health. This makes it a valuable part of evaluating parents' well-being.