**4. Discussion**

The present research work was conducted with a sample of 1176 Spanish adults, with 61.1% being represented by females and 38.9% by males. The study sought to determine associative patterns between various aspects associated with resilience, and socio-demographic, work, and academic aspects during the period of confinement caused by the global COVID-19 crisis. In the opinion of

the authors of this manuscript, no studies with the characteristics of the present study have been developed to date. Although the results should be considered with caution, positive and predictive relationships of resilience capacity were established with the variables of this study. This study can be used as a starting point for developing resilience-based interventions to help minimize psychological consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

First, one of the descriptive results produced in relation to the resilience capacity was that almost half of participants reported values that corresponded to moderate resilience. This finding is similar to that reported by Rodríguez and Ortunio [38], who specified highly similar percentages for this dimension. On the other hand, Szu-Ying et al. [39] stated that slightly more than half of older adults with cardiovascular problems who made up the study sample reported low resilience. This could be due to the fact that they have an illness that causes them stress.

Along similar lines, it is appropriate to highlight that four out of every ten participants in the present study reported having had contact with individuals affected by COVID-19. This could provide an explanation for the medium resilience levels. Fear of the unknown coupled with uncertainty regarding future socio-economics and health can generate mental health problems in the population including the consumption of toxins, somatization, stress, anxiety, and depression that can lead to the risk of suicide [40–42].

When observing scores pertaining to "low resilience", females predominated, whilst males were mostly found in the group of those with "high resilience". This coincides with other studies [12,22,32,38] that allude to both cultural and traditional factors. In this sense, males were traditionally considered responsible for the economic wellbeing of their family. This brought with it skill acquisition and decision making based on the need to take care of their loved ones, leading to rises in resilience.

At the same time, entirely contrasting positions were also found, such as that reported by Laul et al. [43]. These authors showed females to be more resilient, whilst further studies indicated that females were more resilient due to their role as mediator and overseer of the family, with the education and care of members being one of their main functions [44]. Other studies failed to note any sex-based differences, although they did establish resilience-based relationships within health workers [45].

On the other hand, it is interesting to point out the emergence of studies carried out in recent years, especially in transgender groups [33,34]. In the present day, the topic of resilience and gender is somewhat controversial. In this study, sex had to be excluded from the predictive model in the first step of model construction as it was not found to be significantly related.

In relation to professional occupation, the results of the present study indicated that public employees, self-employed workers, and those working at private companies had higher resilience scores. This fact could be explained by the management and planning skills and competencies of individuals at a cognitive, planning, and intellectual level. Individuals draw on these resources to perform tasks, whether this be in the work, social, or academic setting. These resources act as protective factors and help develop resilience [46]. In addition, Zhang et al. [47] added the factor of job commitment as another potentially influential factor.

Thus, at the beginning of this year, a study was conducted in Korea targeting workers that included health workers, in which high levels of work stress, anxiety, and depressive feelings were associated with suicidal ideation, and they found that there was an inverse relationship between resilience and suicidal ideas; that is, high levels of resistance in professionals decreased the incidence of self-injurious thoughts [48].

In fact, Mckinley et al. [45] argued in their study that better scores were obtained by hospital doctors relative to others working in medicine in general. This is likely because dedication and job commitment are greater in hospitals, and this could be considered to be one of the factors related with increased resilience. In the present study, similar figures were found in the proposed regression model, with the likelihood of having high resilience being 2.16-times greater amongst those who were regularly employed.

On the other hand, the scarcity or lack of material necessary to carry out the work with the necessary safety harasses the work environment, favoring the discomfort of the health workers at the mental level. In this sense, the lack of prevention in health supplies was linked to the risk of contagion, user demand, patient morbidity, and the risk of death increasing the burden of stress on health personnel, as well as increasing pressure, concern, and anxiety levels in said personnel [49]. In this line, García-Fernández et al. [50] found, in their research, higher levels of stress and anxiety in health professionals who considered the level of protection in their work environment insufficient or inadequate, while those who had access to adequate protection presented emotional well-being.

At the same time, high resilience scores were uncovered in staff working in the context of emergency services. The ability to overcome adverse situations, adapt to them, and come out stronger the other end, was greater in individuals with stressful occupations as they require emotional management skills to carry out their work [21,22,24,25]. Studies have not only been performed directed towards this population; in fact, research has also been developed at a community level in relation to resilience in hospitals, given the importance of resilience when delivering quality care to service users [23]. In particular, resilience in this setting acts as a protective factor for emergency staff against the potential psychological malaise they might suffer when performing their responsibilities. Thus, our regression model indicated that professionals dedicated to emergency medicine were 1.66-times more likely to have high resilience.

Along similar lines, Zhang et al. [47] outlined the implications of working in different occupational professions as another individual factor. This may influence resilience whilst at the same time improve the quality of work performance, in addition to having a positive association with spiritual health and self-concept [51,52].

All of these observations are also related with the existence of intervention programs designed to improve the resilience levels in nursing staff. An example of such a program is the one developed by Henshall, Davey, and Jackson [53]. This identified the importance of this skill when practicing in the health profession and demonstrated the achievement of better scores following university training [54]. Similarly, in other care settings, such as in social work, resilience is integrated into educational programs, courses, and professional development frameworks. This is due to its importance in carrying out these activities, as has been indicated by Clevelant, Warhurst, and Legood [55].

In this way, academic level is considered to be another factor associated with resilience. Individuals who possess higher education qualifications were shown to be more resilient. This collaborates previously conducted work by Orkaizaguirre-Gómara et al. [31], which found that resilience in university students increased as they progressed through each academic year. Likewise, the results presented by Szu-Ying et al. [39] found higher resilience levels amongst individuals with higher education qualifications. For this reason, this variable was included in the developed regression model, with the outcome confirming that students undertaking higher education were 1.57-times more likely to show high resilience.

Considering the factors we previously mentioned in relation to careers, it is fitting to highlight that individuals with children or dependents were also found to be more resilient than those without. This is illustrated in the regression model via an association between both variables. Thus, it appears that, in some way, the responsibility to care for others leads to development of this skill in such a way that participants with dependents were 1.58-times more likely to present with high resilience.

Finally, with regard to the limitations presented by the present work, there is a scarcity of existing literature conducted on resilience within Spanish populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research in other contexts was found in relation to this topic. With regard to the transgender population, no relevant items were included within the gender variable, which could be considered as another study limitation. Another limitation could be the homogeneity of the sample, as it was mostly women who were more willing to answer the survey. Thus, no distinction was made between age groups, this being a possibility for future studies.

Finally, given that Spain found itself in a state of national emergency and health crisis at the time of data collection, it would have been interesting to include the variable of "stress". This would be likely to provide additional information given the large number of studies that have related high resilience with good stress management [56,57] and fewer depressive symptoms [58]. Studies, such as that conducted by Moksnes and Lazarewicz [19], found resilience to play a compensatory role in the relationship between stress and emotional symptoms.
