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8 - Resilience and longevity:

expert survivorship of centenarians

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 December 2010

By
Peter Martin ,
Maurice MacDonald ,
Jennifer Margrett  and
Leonard W. Poon
Edited by
Prem S. Fry  and
Corey L. M. Keyes
Prem S. Fry
Affiliation:
Trinity Western University, British Columbia
Corey L. M. Keyes
Affiliation:
Emory University, Atlanta
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Summary

Abstract

Centenarians are survivors, and many among them exemplify sustained competence into very old age. This paper highlights three important resilience domains among centenarians: personal resilience (e.g., personality), cognitive resilience (e.g., intellectual functioning), and social and economic resilience (e.g., social support and economic resources). These psychosocial resources of resilience are linked to overall functioning and survivorship among centenarians. Our findings suggest that a “robust” personality, cognitive reserves, and social and economic resources are salient resilience factors necessary for survival and optimal functioning and well-being. To illustrate, personality traits (e.g., competence) and perceived economic status served as mediators between negative life stress and negative affect. With regard to cognition, some centenarians function very well despite low education or poor physical functioning. Finally, perceived economic status mediates the relation between physical functioning and negative affect. Taken together, we conclude that psychosocial resources and resilience are important components of quality of life in late life.

Introduction

Resilience is a descriptor placed on individuals or groups of individuals who survived in the face of adversities. Resilience has been used to describe survivors of the September 11, 2001 attack at the New York World Trade Center as well as the 2005 Katrina hurricane survivors in New Orleans. Masten (2001) defined resilience as “a class of phenomena characterized as good outcome in spite of serious threats to adaptation or development” (p. 227).

Type
Chapter
Information
New Frontiers in Resilient Aging
Life-Strengths and Well-Being in Late Life
 , pp. 213 - 238
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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