No abstract

Multimorbidity is widespread, costly, and associated with a range of deleterious symptoms, affecting 70-80 % of older adults. Resilience in late life has been the focus of considerable research to understand differences in vulnerabilities and recovery from stressors relevant to multimorbidity. Despite this, previous reviews have not focused on resilience in relation to multimorbidity in older adults; therefore, this study synthesized relevant literature. The study design was a scoping review following JBI methodology. Searched electronic databases included PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers and charted using Garrard’s review matrix method. Gough’s weight of evidence criteria were used to appraise quality. Of 468 retrieved studies, 14 met inclusion criteria, primarily from the US, UK, and Canada. Most resilience in multimorbidity frameworks operationalize resilience as dependent on the socio-environmental context of older adults. Resilience was commonly considered a dynamic process, but only one study was longitudinal. Measures were primarily psychological or psycho-social in nature and did not include biological or physical measures of resilience. Quality of life and quality of care were common outcomes; resilience significantly related to these outcomes. Findings indicate both the important relationships of resilience with outcomes of multimorbidity, as well as multiple gaps in our current understanding of resilience in relation to multimorbidity. Results highlight the need for studies with diverse populations across diverse cultures, studies that incorporate multidimensional measures, with attention to physiological or physical properties of resilience, and longitudinal studies that capture the dynamic process of resilience in multimorbidity.