Every Ohioan’s Story Counts: Inside SOAR
Written by:
Lisa Haberbusch, MSW, LISW-S
Manager, Community Engagement and Support
State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience Study (SOAR)
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health
The Ohio State University
Every person has a story. Through SOAR, State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience, individuals across Ohio are helping us to better understand how life experiences shape mental health and well-being.
SOAR 1.0 was an incredible success, with over 15,000 thousand Ohioans contributing to the Brain Health and Wellness Discovery Survey by sharing their experiences to advance our understanding of mental health and well-being. Along the way:
More than 15,000 Ohioans, 18 and over, took part in the SOAR Wellness Discovery Survey, sharing their overall life experiences and well-being.
More than 2,600 Ohioans, ages 12 and up, took part in the SOAR Brain Health Study, an in-depth look at the whole person: physical health, thoughts and emotions, and the life experiences, relationships, and communities that shape their well-being.
Now, SOAR is continuing and traveling back to the same communities where SOAR 1.0 took place and welcoming new communities and partners in SOAR 2.0.
What Is SOAR?
SOAR (State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience) is designed to better understand how experiences throughout life influence our mental health and resilience (The ability to bounce back after one of life’s curve balls). Rather than focusing only on challenges people face, SOAR also strives to better understand what are the things we can change (modifiable risk factors) as well as the strengths and protective skills that help individuals adapt, thrive and recover through tough times.
What SOAR Is Helping Us Learn
Through the stories we heard in SOAR 1.0, SOAR is helping us ask questions such as:
Why do some individuals develop mental health or substance use challenges after trauma, while others do not and some even thrive?
What personal, family, and community factors promote resilience?
How do life experiences affect emotional and physical health across the lifespan?
What resources and supports help people thrive? Or recover?
Every story, every person’s interaction with SOAR helps build a more complete picture of how resilience develops and grows over time and how communities can better support people who have experienced tough times.
What is SOAR learning about Trauma and Resilience?
· Resilience is influenced by many parts of a person’s life. Biological factors, emotional skills, social support, and community conditions all contribute to how well someone bounces back from stress or psychological trauma. No single factor determines resilience.
· Lower resilience is strongly linked to active mental health challenges. Individuals with lower resilience are four times more likely to be dealing with depression, anxiety, substance use or other mental health concerns. Those with high resilience are only half as likely.
· Certain life experiences weaken resilience. Distress, loneliness, lack of hope or meaning, discrimination, chronic pain, and trauma are among the strongest contributors to low resilience and higher symptom severity.
· Resilience looks similar across rural, suburban and urban areas. Geography does not determine resilience — conditions and supports do.
· Trauma affects both resilience and the brain. People with lifetime trauma show reduced cortical thickness in brain regions tied to emotional control and decision-making, providing biological evidence that life experiences physically shape the brain.
The Power of Resilience
· There is hope. Resilience can be learned. Because so many contributors to resilience are changeable — skills, hope, meaning, connection — we can invest in interventions that strengthen resilience across the lifespan.
· Early support reduces risk in youth. If distress, loneliness, and lack of meaning are key drivers of low resilience and mental health and substance use problems, these become priority areas for prevention and early intervention for kids.
· Families and communities play a major role. Social support, stable environments and healthy coping skills help people recover after difficult experiences — no one needs to build resilience alone.
· Environmental supports and opportunities also matter. Access to health care and community support, as well as economic opportunities, can further develop resilience.
Many individuals who have experienced tough times, and even significant trauma, go on to lead healthy, meaningful, and successful lives. Understanding what contributes to resilience can help us identify ways to better support individuals, families, and communities.
Learn More About SOAR
If you are interested in learning more about SOAR, are interested in telling your story or want to find out more about what we are learning, please visit the SOAR website for additional information.
Your story matters. Everyone deserves to lead a happy, healthy life. Together, we can help build healthier, more resilient people and communities.
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