Page 80 - IJPS-11-5

International Journal of
Population Studies Therapeutic resilience during COVID-19

Previous research has shown that each culture includes Recently, resilience research has shifted from solely
unique beliefs about the origins of health and illness (Turan, defining individual traits to emphasizing the intricate
Bostan, & Demir, 2022a:2022b). Hence, interventions relationships between individuals and their ever-changing
must be culturally relevant to ensure a community’s personal, community, and cultural environments. In this
understanding, participation, and compliance with public regard, resilience encompasses both neurological and
health measures (Shaikh & Hatcher, 2005). Moreover, an cultural factors, with the former including genetic factors,
in-depth evaluation of the impact of culture on health is epigenetics, stress-response systems, the immune system,
essential for avoiding the misattribution of illnesses to and brain circuitry, and the latter consisting of shared belief
erroneous cultural factors (Bruns et al., 2020). systems and accepted beneficial adjustments. Importantly,
deliberate practice on the part of the individual and
Hence, this study also examines the role of societal
traditions, specifically cultural healing practices and folk evidence-based interventions has an impact on resilience.
knowledge regarding illness, in enhancing the resilience To provide a better understanding of how people react to
of social structures during traumatic events such as the a crisis under cultural contexts, we use the COVID-19
outbreak as a case study (Kaye-Kauderer et al., 2021).
COVID-19 pandemic. By employing Kleinman’s cultural
explanatory model (Kleinman, 1980), we analyze the The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that
interpretations of COVID-19 within Faisalabad and exclusively depending on our biological properties is
determine how they influenced care-seeking behaviors insufficient for the efficient control of diseases. As stated
in the context of illness. This approach provides valuable earlier, resilience refers to the capacity to successfully
insights into the wider sociocultural changes brought adjust and optimize one’s circumstances in the face of
about by the pandemic and the methods employed by the certain challenges. This capacity encompasses both internal
community to uphold social well-being. elements, such as personal experiences and behavioral
habits, and external variables such as orchestrating
The research questions are as follows: (1) what is the
perception of natural and spiritual healing practices in collective endeavors to overcome risky situations.
However, previous studies have primarily focused on social
the context of COVID-19?; (2) what are the fundamental resilience as an external issue, neglecting the significance
cultural interpretations of the virus’s existence?; and of culture as a separate component of identity. Thus, this
3) what cultural resilience practices have been developed
in response to COVID-19? This discussion centers on the research emphasizes the significance of understanding
cultural resilience in relation to therapeutic beliefs and
relationship between spiritual healing and natural remedies, determines how culture can provide opportunities to
alongside the community’s cultural interpretations of address previously unknown diseases from traditional
COVID-19, to highlight the role of cultural resilience in healing perspectives (Baskin & Bartlett, 2021).
addressing the uncertainties and effects of the virus.
2. Data and methods
1.1. Conceptual construction of “cultural resilience”
Resilience has been defined as the ability to achieve This exploratory study aims to gain a deeper understanding
positive outcomes in high-risk situations, maintain of how COVID-19 influenced Pakistani society and how
competence under certain threats, and recover from ordinary individuals responded to the crisis. Specifically,
trauma (Clauss-Ehlers, 2004; Southwick et al., 2014). As for this research examines the factors that affected the
cultural resilience, it refers to how the cultural heritage of experiences of survivors, families, community members,
individuals/communities, including their language, habits, and care providers during the pandemic in Faisalabad,
traditions, and values, enables them to overcome adversity. based on the “what,” “how,” and “why” of their responses
In other words, this suggests that individuals/groups can (Vindrola-Padros et al., 2020).
overcome adversity by drawing on their own distinctive This study also uses a qualitative approach that focuses
attributes as well as the support of larger sociocultural on the comprehensive explanations of certain occurrences
factors. Meanwhile, Clauss-Ehlers (2008) defined (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). In addition, it employs an
“culturally focused resilient adaptation” as a dynamic ethnographic design, which collects data from various
process that considers an individual’s values, cultural sources about a single social phenomenon in a given
heritage, and supportive aspects of his/her sociocultural cultural context and timeframe (Cruz & Higginbottom,
surroundings. Thus, examining previous research on 2013; Richards et al., 2012). This design was chosen because
resilience can provide a basis for comprehending the it is effective for obtaining specific data from various
current trend of resilience within a broader sociocultural viewpoints within a greater focus of enquiry (Richards &
framework (Southwick et al., 2014). Morse, 2012). In this case, the data focused on disruptions

Volume 11 Issue 5 (2025) 74 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.4109