Resilience training gave a small to moderate gain in resilience.

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   The review covered 25 trials of adults, mostly in the USA, such as students, workers, veterans and people with long-term illness. Average ages ran from about 21 to 61, and 782 people were in the 13 trials on resilience.

2. 02

   What they did

   Programmes ranged from one 90-minute session to 12 weekly group sessions, and some were self-guided or online. Most studies compared them with a waiting group; ten used a similar activity instead.

3. 03

   What happened

   Resilience rose more in training groups than in other groups, up to three months later. Trauma-stress training lowered stress and depression more than other groups did in three trials. The abstract and tables differ on those p-values. Everyday-stress training made no clear difference on quality of life, confidence, depression, stress or anxiety.

What the review found

1. HelpedOther outcomes

   Across 13 trials, people who trained for everyday stress gained more resilience than the other groups did.

   Pooled analysis of 13 studies with 782 people · vs the waiting group or a similar activity · they rated themselves · the authors rated their certainty moderate · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

2. HelpedOther outcomes

   Across three trials, people who trained for stress from trauma had fewer stress symptoms than other groups did.

   Pooled analysis of 3 studies · vs groups on a waiting list or another activity · they rated themselves · the authors rated their certainty low · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

3. HelpedOther outcomes

   Across three trials, people who trained for stress from trauma had fewer depression symptoms than other groups did.

   Pooled analysis of 3 studies · vs groups on a waiting list or another activity · they rated themselves · the authors rated their certainty low · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

4. No differenceMotivation

   In three trials, training for everyday stress did not make people more confident than other groups did.

   Pooled analysis of 3 studies · vs the waiting group or a similar activity · they rated themselves · the authors rated their certainty low · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

Source