Resilience truths: Trauma resilience workers’ points of view toward resilience in continuous traumatic situations.

Objective: Many people who are exposed to continuous violence show resilience. Although resilience is considered an umbrella term to describe a range of processes and theories, there is still a debate relating to its nature and definition. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore attitudes, perceptions, processes, and actionable knowledge regarding resilience, and to validate existing knowledge and conceptualizations about this concept. Method: Using a mixed-methods approach, 27 semi-structured interviews were conducted and two resilience questionnaires were administered to trauma resilience workers living in a war zone, in an attempt to describe and analyze resilience as manifested among residents living in a continuous security threat situation. Findings: Content analysis helped validate the conceptual basis for the two questionnaires, and raised three main themes related to the definition of resilience: It is an ecological phenomenon that combines four systems (micro, meso, exo, and macro); it exists during periods of routine, periods of emergency, and periods leading from one to the other; and it is a resource that can be learned and developed. Conclusions: The findings highlight that resilience is an ecological concept, as it is characterized by the interaction between the individual (micro-level) and the meso and macro circles. It is important to recognize these complex interactions in order to encourage and promote successful coping, to predict which individuals will do well, and to use this insight to promote suitable mental health interventions. Further research among different groups who live under different existential threats is also recommended.