People might experience various stressors in their daily lives, and there is a significant interindividual difference in how they react to similar stress. Resilience refers to the positive adaptation despite stress ‎[1]. Childhood is a sensitive timing window in development, and early experiences might have long-lasting consequences on adaptation-related emotion and cognitive functions.

Resilience could be conceptualized as stress coping–related stable (trait and capability) or dynamic (outcome and process) constructs. Trait-based resilience is defined as a stable attribute assessed by self-reported questionnaires such as the Connor-Davidson resilience scale [2]‎. Researchers recently also developed a state-trait resilience scale by defining resilience as a personal capacity, including distal (trait) and recent (state) levels in response to stress ‎[3]. The dynamic perspective highlights that resilience is both an interactive process and an adaptive outcome over time, which includes the stress response and recovery to baseline in stress trajectory ‎[4].

This narrative review aims to discuss the connecting mechanisms and potential interventions for resilience within the context of childhood experience. We begin with a brief introduction in support of the relationship between childhood experience and later-life resilience. Then, we present empirical or theoretical evidence to outline the integrated framework of combining childhood experience and resilience. Specifically, we include selective studies of two types: (1) childhood experiences are associated with individual factors or mechanisms, which are further proved to be linked to resilient or nonresilient outcomes; and (2) specific factors or mechanisms directly mediate or moderate the association between childhood experiences and resilience. Given the succinct nature of this review, we focus on behavioral, psychological, and social factors or mechanisms and encompass only a few representative studies on relevant themes that have been published in recent years. We propose a synthesis framework to illustrate the relationship between childhood experience and resilience by summarizing evidence from the stress response and coping perspective. Finally, we discuss potential interventions or training for resilience enhancement based on this framework.