ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to introduce the concept, presenting an acquired brain injury (ABI) resilience model as a contribution to existing rehabilitation practice. However, the bio–psycho–social model and research in resilience has challenged and developed this concept. Resilience can be summarized as a mix of several factors: personal competencies such as optimism and the ability to adapt; psychosocial factors in an individual’s family; and context-based factors such as a supportive school, workplace. The study of resilience in individuals with ABI is in its infancy, but initial results already suggest that resilience contributes to positive rehabilitation outcomes. Resilience is seen as a multifaced system with three possible outcomes: post-traumatic growth, resilience, and broken spirit/struggling/mental illness. Research has indicated that most people who experience a traumatic event are resilient and “bounce back,” even though initially they may catastrophize when predicting their emotional reactions.
