Psychological Resilience in Younger and Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Direct Age-Group Comparisons

This systematic review and meta-analysis will examine differences in self-reported psychological resilience between younger and older adults. Eligible studies will include both age groups within the same study, assess them using the same validated resilience instrument, and provide sufficient data for effect-size calculation. Hedges’ g will be used to estimate standardized between-group differences. Resilience measures will be classified according to their underlying construct, including general resilience capacity, bounce-back resilience, and resilient coping, with conceptually distinct outcomes analysed separately. Potential sources of heterogeneity, including resilience instrument, age definition, population type, adversity context, and study quality, will also be explored.