Global Prevalence of Resilience in Higher Education Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Low-resilient students are vulnerable to adversities which hinder academic success and wellbeing. However, little is known about the extent of low resilience among higher education students. Objective: Estimate prevalence of low resilience among higher education students. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis Method: We searched 11 electronic Education and Health-science related databases such as ERIC, PubMed; targeted Higher Education Journals; and relevant reference lists for published and unpublished articles, in English and Chinese, up to 1 January 2021. Observational studies reporting low-resilience prevalence among students enrolled in tertiary programs were considered. Studies using validated measurement-instruments for resilience were included. Two independent authors extracted data using a standardized form and graded individual study quality using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. They graded overall evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system. Two other authors served as independent arbitrators and provided guidance. Results: Meta-analysis was conducted for 41 cross-sectional studies using Review Manager (Version 5.4) with random-effects model. Pooled prevalence of low resilience was 35.32% (95% CI: 30.68, 39.96) among 13,931 students, where 95% Confidence Intervals were derived from calculating standard error of sample proportions. Considerable heterogeneity was noted (?2 = 1559.71, p < 0.00001; I² = 97%), and subgroup analysis revealed nursing students, and students from Europe presented higher prevalence of low resilience at 38.92 (95% CI: 21.66, 56.18), and 41.14 (95% CI: 21.48, 60.79) respectively. Sensitivity analysis showed that excluding studies using ambiguous cut-off scores increased prevalence. Conclusions & Implications: This study provides the scope of low resilience in higher education, identifying vulnerable student-groups for targeted intervention. Improving financial support policies and guidance from educators may increase resilience. More inclusive sampling is recommended for future studies as we found possible underrepresentation of minority groups.