Foundations & Measurement
External evidence synthesis · Foundational · 2016
Physical resilience is resistance or recovery after a stressor
A systematic review found no consensus definition or measure of physical resilience and proposed studying the ability to resist or recover from functional decline after a health stressor.
Research basis
Systematic review and construct-development paper. 1,078 abstracts screened and 49 publications included; 16 were letters or conceptual papers and only one was an intervention study.
What it supports
Recovery trajectories and challenge-response measurement as central to studying physical resilience.
Boundary
Interchangeability of resilience and reserve, a validated BOL Recovery score, or generalization to demanding leadership work.
BOL relevance
Clarifies the intellectual lineage and measurement boundary behind BOL's Recovery property.
Source class
Peer-reviewed research
Role in BOL
Foundational
Population context
Older or clinical population
Evidence basis
Conceptual or synthesized
Important null or boundary finding
The review found no consensus definition or measurement approach for physical resilience.
Full source review pending. Status last assessed 26 July 2026.