Enter your email address
Submit
Write your message
Volume 25, Issue 163 (9-2026)
Journal of Psychological Science 2026, 25(163): 1-19 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Mehraban J, Shakibarad A. (2026). Psychological Mechanisms of Resilience: A Systematic Review of the Roles of Self-Efficacy, Social Cohesion, and Social Capital. Journal of Psychological Science. 25(163), : 8 doi:10.66224/jps.25.163.15
URL: http://psychologicalscience.ir/article-1-3704-en.html
URL: http://psychologicalscience.ir/article-1-3704-en.html
Department Educational Technology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran , javad.mehraban93@gmail.com
Abstract: (355 Views)
Background: Social capital, encompassing such components as trust, participation, and supportive networks, plays an important role in strengthening communities’ social resilience during crises. Collective self-efficacy and social cohesion may also function as mechanisms through which social capital influences social resilience by enhancing collaborative capacity, a sense of belonging, and collective action. Examining these relationships is important for identifying strategies to strengthen communities’ capacity to prevent, respond to, and recover from crises.
Aims: This study aimed to systematically review the psychological mechanisms underlying resilience, with a particular focus on the roles of collective self-efficacy, social cohesion, and social capital.
Methods: This systematic review was conducted to examine the psychological mechanisms of social resilience, focusing on the roles of collective self-efficacy, social cohesion, and social capital. Persian- and English-language studies were searched in reputable scientific databases using keywords related to “social capital,” “social/community resilience,” “social cohesion,” and “collective self-efficacy.” The search period for English-language studies ranged from the beginning of 2020 to the first half of 2026, while Persian-language studies published between the beginning of 1400 and the beginning of 1405 in the Iranian calendar were included. Following the initial identification of 230 studies, the titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Ultimately, 17 eligible studies were selected for the final analysis. The extracted data were categorized and summarized using Microsoft Excel and were reported through descriptive analysis.
Results: The findings indicated that social capital—particularly public trust, social participation, social networks, mutual support, and ties with formal institutions—was positively associated with social and community resilience. Social cohesion, collective identity and belonging, collective efficacy, social learning, collective action, and civic responsibility were also identified as important mechanisms through which social capital contributes to resilience. The results further suggested that social capital and community cohesion can promote mental health, reduce depression, and improve the management of the consequences of disasters, pandemics, conflicts, and social unrest.
Conclusion: Strengthening social capital should be considered a central priority in social policymaking and crisis management. Creating opportunities for citizen participation, enhancing trust between people and institutions, supporting local networks, and reducing social inequalities can improve communities’ capacity to respond effectively to crises and sustain social stability.
Aims: This study aimed to systematically review the psychological mechanisms underlying resilience, with a particular focus on the roles of collective self-efficacy, social cohesion, and social capital.
Methods: This systematic review was conducted to examine the psychological mechanisms of social resilience, focusing on the roles of collective self-efficacy, social cohesion, and social capital. Persian- and English-language studies were searched in reputable scientific databases using keywords related to “social capital,” “social/community resilience,” “social cohesion,” and “collective self-efficacy.” The search period for English-language studies ranged from the beginning of 2020 to the first half of 2026, while Persian-language studies published between the beginning of 1400 and the beginning of 1405 in the Iranian calendar were included. Following the initial identification of 230 studies, the titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Ultimately, 17 eligible studies were selected for the final analysis. The extracted data were categorized and summarized using Microsoft Excel and were reported through descriptive analysis.
Results: The findings indicated that social capital—particularly public trust, social participation, social networks, mutual support, and ties with formal institutions—was positively associated with social and community resilience. Social cohesion, collective identity and belonging, collective efficacy, social learning, collective action, and civic responsibility were also identified as important mechanisms through which social capital contributes to resilience. The results further suggested that social capital and community cohesion can promote mental health, reduce depression, and improve the management of the consequences of disasters, pandemics, conflicts, and social unrest.
Conclusion: Strengthening social capital should be considered a central priority in social policymaking and crisis management. Creating opportunities for citizen participation, enhancing trust between people and institutions, supporting local networks, and reducing social inequalities can improve communities’ capacity to respond effectively to crises and sustain social stability.
Article number: 8
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2026/07/24 | Accepted: 2026/09/13 | Published: 2026/09/23
Received: 2026/07/24 | Accepted: 2026/09/13 | Published: 2026/09/23
References
1. علیزاده، هادی، و محمودیبرام، مریم. (1402). تبیین نقش سرمایه اجتماعی در تحقق تابآوری اجتماعی در دوران پاندمی کرونا (مطالعهای در کلانشهر اهواز). پژوهشهای جغرافیای برنامهریزی شهری، 11(1)، 71–86. https://doi.org/10.22059/jurbangeo.2023.350662.1752
2. فاضلیکبریا، حامد، شفقت، ابوطالب، بهمنی، اکبر، و کریمی، مینو. (1400). تأثیر سرمایه اجتماعی بر تابآوری با تأکید بر نقش میانجی رفتار شهروندی سازمانی در بحرانها: مورد مطالعه کارکنان جمعیت هلالاحمر استان کرمانشاه. مدیریت بحران، 10(19)، 73–81. https://sid.ir/paper/1017758/fa
3. حسینی، سید جواد، و محمدی، علیرضا. (1403). نقش تابآوری اجتماعی در بروز ناآرامیهای اجتماعی؛ مطالعه موردی ناآرامیهای پاییز ۱۴۰۱. جامعهشناسی سیاسی انقلاب اسلامی، 5(1، شماره پیاپی 17)، 159–184.
4. علیپناه، هرمان، حیدرآبادی، ابوالقاسم، و عباسی اسفجیر، علیاصغر. (1402). نقش سبک زندگی و سرمایه اجتماعی بر تابآوری شهروندان کرمانشاهی در دوره بحران کرونا. پژوهشهای سرمایه، (23)، 78–94. https://dori.net/dor/20.1001.1.23453915.1402.12.1.5.9
5. Aldrich, D. P., & Meyer, M. A. (2015). Social capital and community resilience. American Behavioral Scientist, 59(2), 254–269. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764214550299
6. Alipanah, H., Heidarabadi, A., & Abbasi Esfajir, A. A. (2023). The role of lifestyle and social capital on the resilience of Kermanshahi citizens during the Corona crisis. Pazhuhesh-hā-ye Sarmāyeh, (23), 78–94. (in Persian). https://dori.net/dor/20.1001.1.23453915.1402.12.1.5.9
7. Alizadeh, H., & Mahmoudi Beram, M. (2023). Explaining the role of social capital in the realization of social resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: A study in Ahvaz metropolitan area. Urban Geography Planning Research, 11(1), 71–86. (in persian). https://doi.org/10.22059/jurbangeo.2023.350662.1752
8. Asadzadeh, A., Kötter, T., Salehi, P., & Birkmann, J. (2017). Operationalizing a concept: The systematic review of composite indicator building for measuring community disaster resilience. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 25, 147–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.09.015
9. Azad, M. J., & Pritchard, B. (2023). Bonding, bridging, linking social capital as mutually reinforcing elements in adaptive capacity development to flood hazard: Insights from rural Bangladesh. Climate Risk Management, 40, 100498. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2023.100498
10. Baumann, S. E., Merante, M. M., Sylvain-Holmgren, M.-A., & Burke, J. G. (2021). Exploring community art and its role in promoting health, social cohesion, and community resilience in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Health Promotion Practice, 22(1_suppl), 111S–121S. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839921996083
11. Breedvelt, J. J. F., Tiemeier, H., Sharples, E., Galea, S., Niedzwiedz, C., & Elliott, I. (2022). The effects of neighbourhood social cohesion on preventing depression and anxiety among adolescents and young adults: Rapid review. BJPsych Open, 8(4), Article e97. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.57
12. Campos, M. L., & Bascur, A. (2025). Collective efficacy, self-efficacy, and socio-occupational wellbeing: a quasi-experimental study on an intervention based on the development of collective competences in a blended-learning context. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1462937. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1462937
13. Carmen, E., Fazey, I., Ross, H., Bedinger, M., Smith, F. M., Prager, K., ... & Morrison, D. (2022). Building community resilience in a context of climate change: The role of social capital. Ambio, 51(6), 1371-1387. doi:10.1007/s13280-021-01678-9
14. Carrasco, S., Ochiai, C., & Tang, L. M. (2024). Social capital and community resilience in the wake of disasters, conflicts and displacements. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 115, 105049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.105049
15. Chen, Y., Liu, H., Lin, S., Wang, Y., Zhang, Q., & Feng, L. (2024). The impact of social capital on community resilience: A comparative study of seven flood-prone communities in Nanjing, China. Land, 13(8), 1145. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081145
16. Drury, J., & Ntontis, E. (2025). A social identity model of collective resilience in emergent groups. In Y. G. Acar, B. Këllezi, & S. Penić (Eds.), The power of collective resilience against political violence and repression (pp. 13–30). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032708492-3
17. Duque Monsalve, L. F., Valencia Londoño, P. A., Sandoval Casilimas, C. A., Posada-Pérez, N., Rojas-Betancur, M. A., & Londoño Torres, G. E. (n.d.). Social capital and community resilience in disaster contexts: A multiple case study from Colombia.
18. Fazeli Kabria, H., Shefaghat, A., Bahmani, A., & Karimi, M. (2021). The effect of social capital on resilience with emphasis on the mediating role of organizational citizenship behavior in crises: A case study of employees of the Red Crescent Society in Kermanshah Province. Crisis Management, 10(19), 73–81. (in Persian). https://sid.ir/paper/1017758/fa
19. Hall, C. E., Wehling, H., Stansfield, J., South, J., Brooks, S. K., Greenberg, N., Amlôt, R., & Weston, D. (2023). Examining the role of community resilience and social capital on mental health in public health emergency and disaster response: A scoping review. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17242-x
20. Hepler, T. J., Hill, C. R., Chase, M. A., & Feltz, D. L. (2021). Self, relational, and collective efficacy in athletes. Essentials of exercise and sport psychology: An open access textbook, 2021, 643-663. DOI: 10.51224/B1027
21. Holt-Lunstad, J. (2022). Social connection as a public health issue: The evidence and a systemic framework for prioritizing the “social” in social determinants of health. Annual Review of Public Health, 43(2022), 193-213. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052020-110732
22. Holt‐Lunstad, J. (2024). Social connection as a critical factor for mental and physical health: evidence, trends, challenges, and future implications. World Psychiatry, 23(3), 312-332. doi: 10.1002/wps.21224
23. Hosseini, S. J., & Mohammadi, A. (2024). The role of social resilience in the occurrence of social unrest: A case study of the riots of autumn 1401. Political Sociology of the Islamic Revolution, 5(1), 159–184. (in Persian). https://www.psirj.ir/article_198308.html
24. Imperiale, A. J., & Vanclay, F. (2021). Conceptualizing community resilience and the social dimensions of risk to overcome barriers to disaster risk reduction and sustainable development. Sustainable Development, 29(5), 891-905. DOI: 10.1002/sd.2182
25. Kerr, S. E. (2018). Social capital as a determinant of resilience: Implications for adaptation policy. In Resilience (pp. 267-275). Elsevier. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-811891-7.00022-0
26. Kirkbride, J. B., Anglin, D. M., Colman, I., Dykxhoorn, J., Jones, P. B., Patalay, P., Pitman, A., Soneson, E., Steare, T., Wright, T., & Griffiths, S. L. (2024). The social determinants of mental health and disorder: Evidence, prevention and recommendations. World Psychiatry, 23(1), 58–90. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21160
27. Kravchuk, S., Dovgan, N., & Strilchuk, O. (2026). Community identities and psychological resilience as factors of social cohesion. Veredas do Direito Direito Ambiental e Disinvolvement Sustentive 23(4):e234632. DOI: 10.18623/rvd.v23.n4.4632
28. Liu, P., & Yang, C. (2025). Unlocking the power of social capital: How social capital embedding shapes users' continuous knowledge sharing intention in social networks. Acta Psychologica, 261, 105823. doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105823
29. Liu, Y., Cao, L., Yang, D., & Anderson, B. C. (2022). How social capital influences community resilience management development. Environmental Science & Policy, 136, 642-651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.07.028
30. Mackay, C. M., Schmitt, M. T., Lutz, A. E., & Mendel, J. (2021). Recent developments in the social identity approach to the psychology of climate change. Current opinion in psychology, 42, 95-101. DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.04.009
31. Monsalve, L. F. D., Londoño, P. A. V., Casilimas, C. A. S., Posada-Pérez, N., Rojas-Betancur, M. A., & Torres, G. E. L. (2026). Social capital and community resilience in disaster contexts: a multiple case study from Colombia. Frontiers in Public Health, 14, 1830318. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1830318
32. Moustakas, L. (2023). Social cohesion: Definitions, causes and consequences. Encyclopedia, 3(3), 1028–1037. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia3030075
33. Moya, J., & Goenechea, M. (2022). An approach to the unified conceptualization, definition, and characterization of social resilience. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), Article 5746. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095746
34. Patel, S. S., Rogers, M. B., Amlôt, R., & Rubin, G. J. (2017). What do we mean by “community resilience”? A systematic literature review of how it is defined in the literature. PLOS Currents, 9. https://doi.org/10.1371/currents.dis.db775aff25efc5ac4f0660ad9c9f7db2
35. Pei, F., Wang, Y., Qi, S., & Wang, J. (2024). The influence of community cohesion on depression: The mediating role of social support and psychological resilience. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1391779. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1391779
36. Poortinga, W. (2012). Community resilience and health: The role of bonding, bridging, and linking aspects of social capital. Health & Place, 18(2), 286–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2011.09.017
37. Rizal, A., & Nurdin, M. S. (2026). An illustration of the social landscape of the coastal community of Donggala, Indonesia: A picture from social cohesion and resilience. Environment and Ecology Research, 14(3), 253–266. https://doi.org/10.13189/eer.2026.140301
38. Saja, A. A., Goonetilleke, A., Teo, M., & Ziyath, A. M. (2019). A critical review of social resilience assessment frameworks in disaster management. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 35, 101096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101096
39. Scheffran, J. (2025). Systemic risks and governance of the global polycrisis in the Anthropocene: stability of the climate–conflict–migration–pandemic nexus. Global Sustainability, 8, e39. DOI: 10.1017/sus.2025.10026
40. Sirmali, G., & Mert, M. A. (2025). Social Capital for Disaster Risk Reduction. In Encyclopedia of Disaster Risk Reduction (pp. 1-7). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi:10.1007/978-981-97-4547-0_176-1
41. Stevenson, C., Wakefield, J. R., Felsner, I., Drury, J., & Costa, S. (2021). Collectively coping with coronavirus: Local community identification predicts giving support and lockdown adherence during the COVID‐19 pandemic. British Journal of Social Psychology, 60(4), 1403-1418. DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12457
42. Stobbe, R., Napier, T., Bartelli, D., & Howell, K. H. (2022). Internalizing Symptoms in Children Exposed to Adversity: Examining Associations with Resilience, Social Support, and Community Cohesion. American Journal of Undergraduate Research, 18(4).
43. Stobbe, R., Napier, T., Bartelli, D., & Howell, K. H. (2022). Internalizing symptoms in children exposed to adversity: Examining associations with resilience, social support, and community cohesion. American Journal of Undergraduate Research, 18(4), 15–24. https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2022.052
44. Tian, S., Ning, S., Li, H., Chen, L., Zhu, H., & Gao, G. (2025). Relationship of social capital, community identity, and perceived safety resilience during public emergencies in Shanghai. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 6608. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-86990-0
45. Zhao, G., Hui, X., Zhao, F., Feng, L., Lu, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2025). How does social capital facilitate community disaster resilience? A systematic review. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 12, 1496813. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1496813
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License. |
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)