Resilience and lifestyle behaviours as determinants of future work ability in university students: a cross-sectional study

Objectives. Resilience is a key psychological resource for work ability, especially in medical students confronting cognitive and emotional pressures. Aim of the study is to assess resilience in university students and examine its associations with physical activity, sleep quality, and Mediterranean diet. Methods. A cross-sectional study involved 331 medical students at University of Bari. Resilience was measured using the Dispositional Resilience Scale-15 (DRS-15); lifestyle through PREDIMED, IPAQ, and PSQI. Pearson’s correlation and regression were performed. Results. Low resilience was found in 52.78% of participants. Resilience was directly correlated with Mediterranean diet (weak, r: 0.20; p<0.001), physical activity (very weak, r: 0.15; p<0.01), and inversely correlated with sleep quality (weak, r: −0.34; p<0.001). Regression identified no predictors. Conclusions. Resilience in medical students correlates with modifiable lifestyle behaviours, justifying early preventive interventions to enhance long-term occupational health.