# Self-Reported Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic

## TL;DR

This study found that self-reported resilience during the pandemic varied by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors, with Black and Hispanic individuals showing higher resilience compared to White individuals.

## Contribution

The study identifies racial and ethnic disparities in resilience and links them to sociodemographic and structural factors during the pandemic.

## Key findings

- Black and Hispanic participants had higher resilience compared to White participants.
- American Indian and East Asian participants had lower resilience compared to White participants.
- Higher education, income, and private insurance were associated with greater resilience.

## Abstract

What factors are associated with self-reported resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic across racial and ethnic groups in a US cohort?

In this cross-sectional study of 31 045 participants from 14 US prospective cohorts, 74.4% of participants self-reported resilience. Black and Hispanic participants had statistically significantly higher prevalence ratios of resilience compared with White participants, while American Indian and East Asian participants had lower prevalence ratios (10% and 24%); higher education, being married, higher income, and private insurance were associated with greater resilience.

These findings suggest that resilience is shaped by individual and structural factors, and these findings can guide targeted interventions for future public health crises.

This cross-sectional study examines factors associated with self-reported resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic in racially and ethnically diverse, community-dwelling adults from 14 prospective US cohorts.

Identifying factors associated with resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic can inform targeted interventions and resource allocation for groups disproportionately affected by systemic inequities.

To examine factors associated with self-reported resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic in racially and ethnically diverse, community-dwelling US adults.

This cross-sectional study was conducted as part of the Collaborative Cohort of Cohorts for COVID-19 Research (C4R) study, which assessed the associations of the pandemic with self-reported resilience of participants from 14 established US prospective cohorts since January 2021. This report includes participants who responded to the self-reported resilience question on C4R questionnaires. Data was initially analyzed from October 2023 to May 2024, with updated analyses performed from August 2024 to April 2025.

Race and ethnicity, behavior factors, health conditions, and social determinants of health measurements accessed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic through cohort visits and C4R questionnaires.

Self-reported resilience was collected via 1 question (from the Brief Resilience Scale) in C4R questionnaires, “I tend to bounce back quickly after hard times.” Participants who answered agree or strongly agree were classified as resilient, and those who reported neutral, disagree, or strongly disagree were classified as not resilient. Modified Poisson regression was performed to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and access multivariable-adjusted associations with resilience.

Of 31 045 participants (18 672 [60%] women; 10 746 [34.6%] aged <65 years), 1185 (3.8%) identified as American Indian, 6728 (21.7%) as Black, 293 (0.9%) as East Asian, 6311 (20.3%) as Hispanic, 565 (1.8%) as South Asian, and 15 961 (51.3%) as White; a total of 23 103 participants (74.4%) self-identified as resilient. Compared with White participants, Black and Hispanic participants had higher prevalence of self-reported resilience (adjusted PR [aPR], 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.06; aPR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.06-1.11; respectively) and American Indian and East Asian participants had lower prevalence (aPR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.86-0.94; aPR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.68-0.84; respectively). Higher education, being married or living as married, higher income, and overweight were also associated with higher prevalence of resilience. Being female, having diabetes, and being unemployed were associated with lower prevalence of self-reported resilience. Compared with participants with public insurance only, participants with private insurance had higher prevalence of resilience (aPR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03-1.10). COVID-19 vaccination and infection statuses were not significantly associated with resilience. Modification analyses showed important racial and ethnic differences in how factors such as hypertension, marital status, and insurance status were associated with resilience.

In this cross-sectional study of 31 045 adults, self-reported resilience varied by race, ethnicity, and sociodemographic factors. These findings highlight the complex interplay of individual and social factors in shaping the perception of resilience.