Leveraging the experience of stressors: the role of adaptive systematic self-reflection.

To date, little attention has been paid to the processes by which resilience is developed, and how the likelihood of a resilient outcome may be enhanced over the life course. This study investigates the potential for adaptive systematic self-reflection to support the development of situation resilience via stressor exposure. An experimental randomized controlled design was conducted. Participants were randomly assigned to either the Systematic Self-reflection intervention (= 61) or disengagement control group (= 60). Participants were 121 university students (female= 68%) ranging in age from 18 to 56 years. Participants experienced two psychosocial stressors and completed a baseline survey, a second survey occurred post-stressor 1, and a third post-stressor 2. Salivary cortisol was taken pre stressor 2, immediately post stressor 2, and at 10 min intervals until 30 min. The intervention was associated with greater reductions in negative affect, than a disengagement control task, and prevented the continued reduction in positive affect observed in the disengagement control condition. Moreover, the intervention promoted a steeper cortisol recovery trajectory, than the control condition for those with higher pre-stressor cortisol. This study provides further evidence that certain self-reflective practices may be involved in the development of resilience from stressor exposure.