Investigating the dynamics of resilience in the context of work and sport

The construct of psychological resilience across both work and sports contexts has been inconsistently conceptualised. Increasingly, a dynamic model of resilience is described in order to address varying experiences in which performers in both contexts sustain and rebound from diverse challenges. Psychological resource theories explain how various resources coincide with resilience and may interact with one another to facilitate the maintenance, disruption and reintegration of resilience. The aim of this research is to examine the dynamics of resilience and to explain change over both short and longer timeframes in two achievement contexts (work and sport). Using a four wave longitudinal study with 101 participants, this research investigates how resilience changes both over time and in relation to varying magnitudes of adversity. It is also hypothesised that both threat and challenge appraisals would be predicted by resilience and that a history of competitive sports would positively influence resilience processes at work, later in life. Latent growth modelling reveals statistically significant variation in resilience across time in the elevation and rate of change of the individual resilience growth trajectories. furthermore, the findings indicate that employees’ resilience capacity and their ability to maintain in goal directed work during stress was strongly predicted by higher challenge appraisals and lower threat appraisals. Those employees who had persisted in sport past secondary education were significantly better predictors of resilience processes rather than those who had disengaged earlier. Results offer empirical evidence of individual resilience change as a function of both time and adversity. The multi-wave design permits comprehensive assessment of the change in resilience over time in relation to adversity, appraisals and past life experiences. Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to develop resilience interventions for specific predictable adversities in sport and work. Building strategies around the dual pathway model will promote preventive and reintegrative resilience approaches, optimising performance episodes and well-being in ongoing sport and work endeavours.