How do occupational therapy and occupational science researchers conceptualize resilience? A scoping review

Abstract

The concept of resilience can be theorized at individual and/or collective levels—all indicating adaptation to disruption or stress. Within occupational science and occupational therapy, some researchers have asserted an important relationship between occupation and resilience. However, there has not yet been a published review of resilience in occupation-focused literature, despite calls for such research and the existence of resilience reviews in other disciplines. Using the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodological guidelines, we aimed to summarize the characteristics of resilience research in occupational science and occupational therapy. Our inclusion criteria encompassed occupation- and resilience-focused empirical research articles published from 1990-2023. Our review question was: How is resilience conceptualized and operationalized in occupational therapy and occupational science research literature? We identified 222 articles that met our inclusion criteria. Results demonstrate inconsistent engagement with resilience definitions, theories, and outcome measures—though a predominantly psychological perspective on the concept was noted. Over half of included articles were published since 2020, illustrating an increasing interest in resilience among researchers. We highlight conceptualizations of resilience originating from occupational science and occupational therapy, including different uses of the term “occupational resilience”. We hope our study can be a starting point for further occupation-focused resilience research and, to that end, we include several recommendations for researchers and clinicians who are interested in resilience. Resilience is a highly relevant concept in occupational therapy, and we believe that the worldwide focus on how to become more resilient could benefit from the occupational perspective.