A new survey conducted by The Ohio State University and Everyday Health – the leading consumer health and wellness news website – reveals findings on the Americans resiliency levels, including that Black/African Americans rank first in resiliency, followed by Whites and Hispanics, respectively. Â
The survey was conducted to measure the nation’s resiliency levels and found that overall, nearly half of Americans have low levels of resiliency. Regarding ethnic and cultural demographics, the survey found that:
- Black/African Americans rank the highest when it comes to resiliency at 62% while Asians rank as the least resilient race 46%.
- Whites rank at 56.6%
- Hispanics rank at 54.7%
- American Indian at 51.8%
Data specific to the Black/African American community includes:
- Blacks/African Americans take action, embrace help/alternative health, keep perspective & stay fit
- They rank #1 for having a Let’s Do Something About It (63%) attitude
- They are also ranked #1 in Asking for Help (40%)
- They rank higher than average in Not Sweating the Small Stuff (55%)
Why is resiliency important?  Because resiliency has a direct impact on physical and mental health and wellness.  According to the survey:
- Those who ranked as less resilient are diagnosed more with Asthma & IBS and significantly (51%) more likely to be diagnosed with mental health conditions (Anxiety Disorder, Clinical Depression, PTSD, Bipolar, ADHD, OCD and Eating Disorders).
- Less resilient Americans are more likely to have experienced the loss of a loved one to unnatural causes like suicide (45%), car accident (33%), drug overdose (22%) and gun violence (16%)
- 91% of the most resilient Americans believe mental health as important as physical health.   Yet only 33% of Americans are likely to ask for help when faced with a negative situation.
The good news is resiliency is a skill that can be learned.Â
If you would like to learn more about resiliency The Ohio State University and Everyday Health offers:
- A self-assessment to measure resiliency levelsÂ
- Tips for building Resilience from accredited experts
- Panel of experts from the Everyday Health Wellness Advisory Board
- Survey Data
Photo courtesy of Andrae Ricketts.
