Patrizio Paoletti1
Tania Di Giuseppe1Carmela Lillo1
Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan1
Aras Bozkurt2
Golnaz Tabibnia3
Kaltrina Kelmendi4Gaye Watson Warthe5
Rotem Leshem6Vinca Bigo7
Anthony Ireri8Cecilia Mwangi8
Nandan Bhattacharya9
Giulia Federica Perasso1*- 1Istituto di Ricerca in Neuroscienze, Educazione e Didattica, Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti, Assisi, Italy
- 2Distance Education Department, Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Turkey
- 3Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
- 4Department of Psychology, University of Prishtina, Hasan Prishtina, Pristine, Kosovo
- 5Faculty of Health, Community and Education, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB, Canada
- 6Department of Criminology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
- 7Kedge Business School, Talence, France
- 8Department of Educational Psychology, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
- 9UGC-Human Resource Development Centre, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Introduction
The psychological effects of COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a spike in the prevalence of stress and anxiety (Yao et al., 2020). Globally, between January 2020 and January 2021, depressive disorders increased by 27% while anxiety disorders increased by 25% (Santomauro et al., 2021). Despite attempts to promote mental health practices through digital resources (Arenliu et al., 2020), the pandemic massively impacted adolescents and young adults as it doubled the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among youths (Racine et al., 2021).
A “new normality” has changed our everyday life (Bozkurt and Sharma, 2020) and social norms (Andriani, 2020). Previous research on natural disaster preparedness (Kostouros and Warthe, 2020; Warthe et al., 2022; Di Giuseppe et al., 2023 (In Press)) does not suggest how to deal with a long-term phenomenon such as a pandemic that has caught global communities unprepared. COVID-19 and its effects have highlighted the urgency for individuals and societies to fortify themselves at a psychosocial level.
A key construct to address this need is resilience, defined as the ability to adaptively cope with adversity (Luthar et al., 2000), resulting from the dynamic interaction among genetic, biological, and environmental factors (Herrman et al., 2011). In this paper, we refer to resilience as the process that allows the individual, group, and community to cope with, overcome, and emerge strengthened from negative experiences (Grotberg, 1995; Hamby et al., 2018). To date, most studies on the effects of the pandemic primarily examine the risk factors for individuals' health, while studies that explore resources and assets that promote positive coping with the adverse effects of the pandemic are still scarce.
Starting from this premise, the following paper is the result of a collective reflection shared by resilience researchers across the globe (Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti, 2022), inquiring about how the pandemic can be considered a catalyst for change for building more resilient communities and social structures. As a contribution to facing the current emergency, resilience researchers share four interdisciplinary insights that are presented in the current paper.
Discussion
What can we learn from COVID-19?
Insight 1: Being more aware of brain functioning and its potential can help us face the global increase in anxiety and depression
Every individual, community, and institution should access theoretical and practical knowledge about the human brain and mental functioning to become more resilient. Adults can become more resilient by reprogramming their brains to counteract the effects of stress by enhancing the activity of the prefrontal cortex and coping circuits (Fredrickson, 1998; Davidson, 2000; Korb, 2015; Tabibnia and Radecki, 2018). Stressors negatively impact the prefrontal cortex, which is the seat of higher functions (Diamond, 2016), and the synthesis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is critical for neuronal plasticity (Fritsch et al., 2010). Tabibnia (2020) highlights three neuroscience-based strategies that are key for building resilience: (1) reducing the negative impact of experience (e.g., via cognitive reappraisal) and therefore the distress responses of the amygdala, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and autonomic nervous system; (2) increasing positive experience (e.g., optimism and social cohesion) and associated activation of mesostriatal reward circuits, which can counteract stress responses; (3) cultivating self-transcendence (with techniques such as meditation, mindfulness), thereby reducing the activation of the default mode network (DMN) and associated rumination, self-reflection, and mind-wandering. Different meditation techniques, such as Quadrato Motor Training (QMT), can indirectly incentivize resilience by increasing prefrontal activation and decreasing the DMN (Dotan Ben-Soussan et al., 2013; Paoletti and Ben-Soussan, 2021; Paoletti et al., 2022a).
Insight 2: It is necessary to develop an awareness of human interconnectedness to overcome adversity
Our wellbeing is not only dependent on our actions toward ourselves and toward others but is also influenced by the actions of others (White and McCallum, 2021). We can be more resilient when we are focused on other individuals and their needs through empathy, compassion, and tolerance (Jordan, 2004; Slavich et al., 2021). Additionally, the support of family, friends, and community is considered another source of strengths crucial to developing resilience and overcoming adversity in diverse cultural contexts and populations (Hamby et al., 2018; Kelmendi and Hamby, 2022). Conversely, “self-centered” resilience reinforces social alienation, hindering the development of a sense of brotherhood and responsibility to others (Mahdiani and Ungar, 2021). Individuals' sense of community is not yet sufficiently developed to cope with a global emergency (Hirsch, 2010; Turcotte and Caron, 2017), as indicated by the social tensions about biopower (Arminjon and Marion-Veyron, 2021) and the difficulties in complying with anti-contagion measures (Hills and Eraso, 2021). Noticeably, activities such as artistic engagement can improve the level of resilience of individuals and communities (Reed et al., 2020). The creative process (e.g., drawing) allows the expression and processing of emotions within group interventions as well as with COVID-19 patients (Bhattacharya et al., 2022). Plus, it has been demonstrated that the creative potential represents a protective factor against COVID-19 lockdown stress (D'Anselmo et al., 2022).
Insight 3: School-programs should educate next generations in resilience
To face the global spread of anxiety and depression among youth as a consequence of the pandemic (Racine et al., 2021), resilience must be promoted and integrated in educational settings. The educational landscape should create personalized and collective support strategies and integrate resilience in educational curricula around the world (Mwangi et al., 2017; Kelmendi and Hamby, 2022). Educational systems must develop new strategies to survive the long-term crisis sustainably, ensuring that no one is left behind (Bozkurt, 2022) in light of socioeconomic disparities between countries. Fundamental to this is the digitalization of educational systems, possibly facilitated by preparatory interventions to support students, teachers and parents (Hyseni- Duraku and Hoxha, 2020).
Insight 4: Self-training resilience tools can allow individuals, groups, and communities to access neuro-psycho-pedagogical knowledge to face adversities, uncertainty, and changes in everyday life
Self-educational programs can help people to understand the links between neuro-psycho-physiological states, emotions, and behaviors to re-interpret events and emergencies and create a resilient community. In this sense, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation designed a self-administered resilience-training program entitled “Ten Keys (i.e., suggestions) for Resilience” (Table 1; Paoletti et al., 2022a). The program was born in the framework of the Sphere Model of Consciousness (Paoletti, 2002a,b; Paoletti et al., 2022c; Paoletti and Ben Soussan, 2019), and was inspired by interdisciplinary literature (Fredrickson, 1998; Davidson, 2000; Korb, 2015; Paoletti, 2018; Tabibnia and Radecki, 2018). The 10 Keys for resilience are theoretical-practical indications describing how a resilient brain works. These indications support the process of awareness through the proactive re-signification of experience at a cognitive level, improving emotional regulation and the physical wellbeing of the individual. Taken collectively, the 10 Keys create an expanded conceptualization of resilience, where the individual trains to overcome adversity to transform the adversity into an opportunity for personal and collective growth (Paoletti et al., 2022a). The 10-Keys are organized according to the four neuro—psycho-pedagogical principles of the Pedagogy for the Third Millennium (PTM; Paoletti, 2008, 2018): Observation, Mediation, Translation, Normalization Paoletti and Selvaggio, 2011a,b, 2012, 2013; Paoletti et al., 2022a. The Ten-Keys were applied in emergency and challenging context (e.g., earthquake survivors, inmates, and juvenile penal justice educators) even during COVID-19 pandemic (Di Giuseppe et al., 2022c; Di Giuseppe, 2022; Di Giuseppe et al., 2022a,b, 2023 (In Press); Maculan et al., 2022; Paoletti et al., 2022b).
Table 1. Ten-Keys for resilience by Patrizio Paoletti Foundation. Revised version from (Di Giuseppe et al., 2022a).
Conclusion
The four insights, resulting from the encounter among resilience researchers (Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti, 2022), offer an interpretation of the experiences lived during the pandemic. Taken collectively, these insights integrate neuroscience, psychology, and pedagogy to face the post-pandemic world with an interdisciplinary knowledge. The insights aim at helping us to face the current emergency and preparing us for the future, overcoming the global spread of anxiety and stress highlighted by scientific literature. Next generations could benefit from re-analyzing the concept of resilience as a set of strengths of the individual and community to promote wellbeing and mental health. It is also crucial, in the future of the educational systems, to integrate resilience in school programmes, and to promote self-training in resilience across the life cycle. These neuro-psycho-pedagogical insights eventually can be translated to a wide range of emerging future challenging situations which we are currently facing, such as financial instability, war, and climate change.
Author contributions
PP conceived and supervised the realization of the manuscript in the structure. TD, CL, GP, PP, AB, GT, KK, GW, VB, RL, TB-S, AI, CM, and NB contributed in the writing of the insights presented in the article. All authors contributed to the revision of the article and approved the final version.
Acknowledgments
We thank Sandro Anella, Gianni Bernardi, Selene Di Domenicantonio, Damiano Moscatelli, Andrea Pintimalli, Ciro Scategni, and Meriel MacDivitt for helping us in the organization of the Round Table Resilience for the Future from which this paper was developed.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
References
Andriani, H. (2020). Effectiveness of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) toward the new normal era during COVID-19 outbreak: a mini policy review. J. Indonesian Health Policy Admin. 5, 4001. doi: 10.7454/ihpa.v5i2.4001
Arenliu, A., Uka, F., and Weine, S. (2020). Building online and telephone psychological first aid services in a low resource setting during covid-19: the case of Kosovo. Psychiatria Danubina 32, 570–576. doi: 10.24869/psyd.2020.570
Arminjon, M., and Marion-Veyron, R. (2021). Coronavirus biopolitics: the paradox of France's Foucauldian heritage. History Philos. Life Sci. 43, 1–5. doi: 10.1007/s40656-020-00359-2
Bhattacharya, N., Choudhury, S., Roychowdhury, M., Sinha, M., Mistri, P., Bhattacharya, R., et al. (2022). ‘Art at Safe Homes': a pioneer study among COVID patients and their treatment Team. J. Prev. Assess. Rehabil. 2022, 211220. doi: 10.3233/WOR-211220
Bozkurt, A. (2022). Resilience, adaptability, and sustainability of higher education: a systematic mapping study on the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the transition to the new normal. J. Learn. Dev. 9, 1–16. doi: 10.56059/jl4d.v9i1.590
Bozkurt, A., and Sharma, R. C. (2020). Education in normal, new normal, and next normal: observations from the past, insights from the present and projections for the future. Asian J. Dist. Educ. 15, i-x. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.4362664
D'Anselmo, A., Agnoli, S., Filardi, M., Pizza, F., Mastria, S., Corazza, G. E., et al. (2022). Being creative during lockdown: the relationship between creative potential and COVID-19-related psychological distress in narcolepsy type 1. J. Sleep Res. 31, e13461. doi: 10.1111/jsr.13461
Davidson, R. J. (2000). Affective style, psychopathology, and resilience: brain mechanisms and plasticity. Am. Psychologist 55, 1196–1214. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.55.11.1196
Di Giuseppe, T, Perasso, G, Maculan, A, Vianello, F, and Paoletti, P. (2022c). Envisioning the Future: Ten Keys to Enhance Resilience Predictors Among Inmates. In The Paris Conference on Education 2022: Official Conference Proceedings doi: 10.22492/issn.2758-0962.2022.21
Di Giuseppe, T. (2022). Envisioning the Future and the 10 Keys for Resilience. In Resilience for the Future. An International Roundtable to Promote Resilience in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Available online at: https://elearning.fondazionepatriziopaoletti.org/resilience-for-the-future-in-time-of-pandemic-da-covid-19-an-international-round-table (accessed August 22, 2022).
Di Giuseppe, T., Perasso, G., Maculan, A., Vianello, F., and Paoletti, P. (2022a). Envisioning the Future: Ten Keys to Enhance Resilience Predictors Among Inmates. Paris: The Paris Conference on Education.
Di Giuseppe, T., Perasso, G., Paoletti, P., Mazzeo, C., Maculan, A., and Vianello, F. (2022b). Envisioning the Future: A Neuropsychopedagogical Intervention on Resilience Predictors Among Inmates During the Pandemic. Ricerche di Psicologia. (In press).
Di Giuseppe, T., Serantoni, G., Paoletti, P., and Perasso, G. (2023). Un sondaggio a quattro anni da Prefigurare il Futuro, un intervento neuropsicopedagogico post-sisma [A survey four years after Envisioning the Future, a post-earthquake neuropsychopedagogic intervention]. Orientamenti Pedagogici. (In press).
Diamond, A. (2016). “Why assessing and improving executive functions early in life is critical,” in Executive Function in Preschool-age children: Integrating Measurement, Neurodevelopment, and Translational research, eds P. McCardle, L. Freund, and J. A. Griffin (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association), 11–43. doi: 10.1037/14797-002
Dotan Ben-Soussan, T., Glicksohn, J., Goldstein, A., Berkovich-Ohana, A., and Donchin, O. (2013). Into the square and out of the box: the effects of Quadrato Motor Training on creativity and alpha coherence. PLoS ONE 8, e55023. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055023
Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti. (2022). Resilience for The Future. An International Roundtable to Promote Resilience in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Available online at: https://elearning.fondazionepatriziopaoletti.org/resilience-for-the-future-in-time-of-pandemic-da-covid-19-an-international-round-table (accessed August 22, 2022).
Fredrickson, B. L. (1998). What good are positive emotions? Rev. General Psychol. 2, 300–319. doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.300
Fritsch, B., Reis, J., Martinowich, K., Schambra, H. M., Ji, Y., Cohen, L. G., et al. (2010). Direct current stimulation promotes BDNF-dependent synaptic plasticity: potential implications for motor learning. Neuron 66, 198–204. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.03.035
Grotberg, E. H. (1995). A Guide to Promoting Resilience in Children: Strengthening the Human Spirit, Vol. 8. The Hague: Bernard van leer foundation.
Hamby, S., Grych, J., and Banyard, V. (2018). Resilience portfolios and poly-strengths: identifying protective factors associated with thriving after adversity. Psychol. Violence 8, 172–183. doi: 10.1037/vio0000135
Herrman, H., Stewart, D. E., Diaz-Granados, N., Berger, E. L., Jackson, B., and Yuen, T. (2011). What is resilience? Can. J. Psychiatr. 56, 258–265. doi: 10.1177/070674371105600504
Hills, S., and Eraso, Y. (2021). Factors associated with non-adherence to social distancing rules during the COVID-19 pandemic: a logistic regression analysis. BMC Public Health 21, 1–25. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10379-7
Hirsch, E. (2010). Traité de bioéthique: III - Handicaps, vulnérabilités, situations extrêmes. Érés, Toulouse. doi: 10.3917/eres.hirsc.2010.03
Hyseni- Duraku, Z., and Hoxha, L. (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 on Education and on the Well-being of Teachers, Parents, and Students: Challenges Related to Remote (Online) Learning and Opportunities for Advancing the Quality of Education. Available online at: https://www.~researchgate.net/publication/341297812 (accessed August 22, 2022).
Jordan, J. V. (2004). “Relational resilience,” in The Complexity of Connection: Writings From the Stone Center's Jean Baker Miller Training Institute, eds J. V. Jordan, M. Walker, and L. M. Hartling (New York, NY: Guilford Press), 28–46.
Kelmendi, K., and Hamby, S. (2022). Resilience after trauma in kosovo and southeastern europe: a scoping review. Trauma Violence Abuse 3, 1–5. doi: 10.1177/15248380221093693
Korb, A. (2015). The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
Kostouros, P., and Warthe, D. G. (2020). Protocols and practices in emergency evacuation of women fleeing abuse. Greenwich Soc. Work Rev. 1, 1–10. doi: 10.21100/gswr.v1i1.1088
Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D., and Becker, B. (2000). Research on resilience: response to commentaries. Child Dev. 71, 573–575. doi: 10.1111/1467-8624.00168
Maculan, A., Di Giuseppe, T., Vivaldi, S., and Vianello, F. (2022). Narrazioni e risorse. Gli operatori del sistema penale minorile al tempo del Covid. Autonomie locali e servizi sociali, n 2/2022, Ed. Il Mulino.
Mahdiani, H., and Ungar, M. (2021). The dark side of resilience. Adversity Resilience Sci. 2, 147–155. doi: 10.1007/s42844-021-00031-z
Mwangi, C. N., Ireri, A. M., and Mwaniki, E. W. (2017). Correlates of academic resilience among secondary school students in Kiambu County, Kenya. Interdiscipl. Educ. Psychol. 1, 1–10. doi: 10.31532/InterdiscipEducPsychol.1.1.004
Paoletti, P. (2002a). Flussi, Territori, Luogo [Flows, Territories, Place]. Madeira: M.E.D. Publishing.
Paoletti, P. (2002b). Flussi, Territori, Luogo II [Flows, Territories, Place II]. Madeira: M.E.D. Publishing.
Paoletti, P., and Ben Soussan, T. D. (2019). The sphere model of consciousness: from geometrical to neuro-psycho-educational perspectives. Logica Universalis. 13, 395–415. doi: 10.1007/s11787-019-00226-0
Paoletti, P., and Ben-Soussan, T. D. (2021). “Emotional intelligence, identification, and self-awareness according to the sphere model of consciousness,” in The Science of Emotional Intelligence, ed S. G. Taukeni (London: Intech Open).
Paoletti, P., Di Giuseppe, T., Lillo, C., Anella, S., and Santinelli, A. (2022a). Le Dieci Chiavi della Resilienza. Available online at: https://fondazionepatriziopaoletti.org/10-chiavi-resilienza/ (accessed August 22, 2022).
Paoletti, P., Di Giuseppe, T., Lillo, C., Serantoni, G., Perasso, G., Maculan, A., et al. (2022b). “La resilienza nel circuito penale minorile in tempi di pandemia: un'esperienza di studio e formazione basata sul Modello Sferico della Coscienza su un gruppo di educatori,” in Narrare i Gruppi, latest - 10 luglio (2022), pp. 01–21.
Paoletti, P., Leshem, R., Pellegrino, M., and Ben-Soussan, T. D. (2022c). Tackling the electro-topography of the selves through the sphere model of consciousness. Front. Psychol. 2022, 1534. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.836290
Paoletti, P., and Selvaggio, A. (2011a). Mediazione. Quaderni di Pedagogia per il Terzo Millennio. Perugia: Edizioni 3P.
Paoletti, P., and Selvaggio, A. (2011b). Osservazione. Quaderni di Pedagogia per il terzo Millennio. Perugia: Edizioni 3P.
Paoletti, P., and Selvaggio, A. (2012). Traslazione. Quaderni di Pedagogia per il Terzo Millennio. Perugia: Edizioni 3P.
Paoletti, P., and Selvaggio, A. (2013). Normalizzazione. Quaderni di Pedagogia per il Terzo Millennio. Perugia: Edizioni 3P.
Racine, N., McArthur, B. A., Cooke, J. E., Eirich, R., Zhu, J., and Madigan, S. (2021). Global prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents during COVID-19: a meta-analysis. J. Am. Med. Assoc. Pediatr. 175, 1142. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.2482
Reed, K., Cochran, K. L., Edelblute, A., Manzanares, D., Sinn, H., Henry, M., et al. (2020). Creative arts therapy as a potential intervention to prevent burnout and build resilience in health care professionals. Adv. Crit. Care 31, 179–190. doi: 10.4037/aacnacc2020619
Santomauro, D. F., Herrera, A. M. M., Shadid, J., Zheng, P., Ashbaugh, C., Pigott, D. M., et al. (2021). Global prevalence and burden of depressive and anxiety disorders in 204 countries and territories in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lancet 398, 1700–1712. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02143-7
Slavich, G. M., Roos, L. G., and Zaki, J. (2021). Social belonging, compassion, and kindness: key ingredients for fostering resilience, recovery, and growth from the COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety Stress Coping 35, 1–8. doi: 10.1080/10615806.2021.1950695
Tabibnia, G. (2020). An affective neuroscience model of boosting resilience in adults. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 115, 321–350. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.05.005
Tabibnia, G., and Radecki, D. (2018). Resilience training that can change the brain. Consult. Psychol. J. 70, 59–88. doi: 10.1037/cpb0000110
Turcotte, M. F., and Caron, M. A. (2017). La transdisciplinarité et l'opérationnalisation des connaissances scientifiques. Montreal: Editions JFD.
Warthe, D. G., Kostouros, P., and Wotherspoon, K. (2022). Learning Lessons From a Pandemic: Building Knowledge on Disaster Preparedness and Gender-Based Violence. Unpublished report prepared for the Canadian Women's Foundation and Women Shelters Canada. Toronto, ON: Canadian Women's Foundation and Women Shelters Canada
White, M. A., and McCallum, F. (2021). Crisis or Catalyst? Examining COVID-19's Implications for Wellbeing and Resilience Education. In Wellbeing and Resilience Education (London: Routledge), 1–17. doi: 10.4324/9781003134190-1
Keywords: resilience, COVID-19, brain functioning, social interconnectedness, education, neuropsychopedagogical, self-training
Citation: Paoletti P, Di Giuseppe T, Lillo C, Ben-Soussan TD, Bozkurt A, Tabibnia G, Kelmendi K, Warthe GW, Leshem R, Bigo V, Ireri A, Mwangi C, Bhattacharya N and Perasso GF (2022) What can we learn from the COVID-19 pandemic? Resilience for the future and neuropsychopedagogical insights. Front. Psychol. 13:993991. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.993991
Received: 14 July 2022; Accepted: 12 August 2022;
Published: 12 September 2022.
Edited by:
Ilaria Riccioni, University of Macerata, ItalyReviewed by:
Anita D'Anselmo, University of Studies G. d'Annunzio Chieti and Pescara, ItalyOrtal Slobodin, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
Copyright © 2022 Paoletti, Di Giuseppe, Lillo, Ben-Soussan, Bozkurt, Tabibnia, Kelmendi, Warthe, Leshem, Bigo, Ireri, Mwangi, Bhattacharya and Perasso. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Giulia Federica Perasso, g.perasso@fondazionepatriziopaoletti.org