What is Resilience and Why Does it Matter?
Resilience is the ability to adapt and bounce back after challenging events or a series of obstacles. Many soldiers have personal sources of resilience they can use to bounce back following tough circumstances. However, research also shows that people are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. Like a muscle, people may be able to build up resilience and use it when they need it most.
The purpose of RINGS is to figure out how resilience manifests among soldiers, which may prove useful for helping future soldiers before they experience stressful events. RINGS scientists have examined resilience by surveying soldiers before and after deployments during operations such as Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn. In this way, it is possible to assess how soldiers and their romantic partners have responded and adapted to the challenges of deployment.