The concept of resilience depends on two basic
assumptions:24 the occurrence of an adverse or stressing
event throughout the individual’s life, and the development
of psychological mechanisms that allow for surpassing such
potentially traumatic events. In the early studies on resilience
over 40 years ago, it was believed that resilience was an
innate attribute of some individuals, such as the “invulnerable
children”,21 mentioned by some authors. Such invulnerability
would make these children able to deal with adverse
situations. Lemos et al.9
point out the individual’s subjective
look at the level of exposure and individual limits in face of
adversities, so that the same event may be faced as a danger by
Figure 1 – Mean rates of the answers to the questions proposed.
I usually deal with problems one way or another.
I am able to depend on myself more than anyone else
Keeping interested in things is important to me
I am proud that I have accomplished things in my life
I usually accept things without worrying too much
I am a friend to myself
I feel that I can handle many things at a time
I am determined
I rarely think about the objective of things
I do things one day at a time
I can face difficult times because I have experienced difficulty before
I am self-disciplned
I keep interest in things
I can usually find a reason to laugh
My belief in myself makes me able to get through hard times
In an emergency, I am someone people can count on
I can usually look at a situation in different ways
Sometimes I make myself do things whether I want or not
My life has meaning
I do not insist on things that I can’t do anything about
When I am in a difficult situation, I usually find my way out
I have enough energy to do what I have to do
It’s all right if there are people that don’t like me
0
Mean degree of agreement
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
I can be on my own if I need to
When I make plans, I follow through them.
132
Original Article
Lemos et al
Resilience in ischemic heart disease patients
Arq Bras Cardiol. 2016; 106(2):130-135
some individuals and as a challenge by others. This difference
corresponds to one’s resilience capacity