Investigation of the relationship between perceived social support and psychological resilience in bipolar disorder: a cross-sectional study

Objective: Psychological resilience (PR) is a risk factor that is associated with onset of disease, quality of life, and prognosis in bipolar disorder (BD). There are variables that can affect PR positively and negatively; one of them is perceived social support (PSS). The aim of this study was to examine this relationship. Methods: The Multidimensi-onal Scale of PSS, Adult PR Scale, and Data Collection Form were requested from 90 patients with bipolar I disorder in the euthymic stage and 30 controls who were matched for age, gender, marital status, and level of education. Results: PSS and PR scores were significantly lower in the bipolar group than in the control group. In the control group, only the family subscale of PSS was significantly correlated with PR, while both the family and friend subscales were significantly associated with PR in the bipolar group. In a regression analysis which considered PR as an independent variable, the family and friend subscales of PSS and age at onset were significant. Conclusion: Family therapy and peer support groups in addition to medical therapy in BD may contribute positively to prognosis. In addition, training modules to develop PR for BD patients with risk factors such as childhood trauma and early onset would improve prognosis.