Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness
The mission of the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness is to build a rigorous and interdisciplinary science of positive health, happiness, and well-being with a focus on health equity, and to translate the science to influence practice and policy.
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Resilience Measurement
Disclaimer
This page includes 35 resilience measures compiled by the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness to aid scholars undertaking research into resilience. Please note that the measures linked to here were not created by, and are not the property of, the Center.
If you are interested in using the measures, please contact the researchers who developed them.
What is Resilience?
Resilience is a construct related to, but distinct from, subjective well-being. Challenge and adversity are woven into the human experience. Although adversity can profoundly disrupt emotional wellbeing and life functioning, research suggests that many people show better outcomes than expected. Broadly, psychological resilience can be defined as the maintenance, recovery, or achievement of positive mental health and functioning in the face of adversity.
Scientific disciplines have approached the phenomenon of resilience from multiple angles over the years. For example, some developmental researchers have examined resilience as the absence of negative outcomes among high-risk children. Other psychologists have studied resilience as a personality trait reflecting a perceived ability to “bounce back” from stressors. Many engineers have defined resilience as a system capacity to absorb disturbance and/or reorganize in order to maintain function. Across psychiatry and epidemiology, experts now agree that resilience reflects a dynamic process involving the interaction of risk and protective factors at multiple levels, and across time – the definition the Center is following in its approach to resilience.
Resilience Measures
Resilience Capacity (Trait Resilience Measures)
| Scale | Citation | Number of Items |
| Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) | Sinclair, V. G., & Wallston, K. A. (2004). The development and psychometric evaluation of the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Assessment, 11(1), 94-101 | 4 |
| Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) | Smith, B. W., Dalen, J., Wiggins, K., Tooley, E., Christopher, P., & Bernard, J. (2008). The brief resilience scale: assessing the ability to bounce back. International journal of behavioral medicine, 15(3), 194-200 | 6 |
| Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) | Connor, K. M., & Davidson, J. R. (2003). Development of a new resilience scale: The Connor‐Davidson resilience scale (CD‐RISC). Depression and anxiety, 18(2), 76-82 | 25 |
| Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS) | Bartone, P. T., Ursano, R. J., Wright, K. M., & Ingraham, L. H. (1989). The impact of a military air disaster on the health of assistance workers. Journal of nervous and mental disease, 177(6), 317-328 | 45 |
| Ego Resiliency Scale | Klohnen, E. C. (1996). Conceptual analysis and measurement of the construct of ego-resiliency. Journal of personality and social psychology, 70(5), 1067 | 29 |
| Ego Resiliency Scale (ER 89) | Block, J., & Kremen, A. M. (1996). IQ and ego-resiliency: conceptual and empirical connections and separateness. Journal of personality and social psychology, 70(2), 349 | 14 |
| Essential Resilience Scale | Chen, X., Wang, Y., & Yan, Y. (2016). The essential resilience scale: instrument development and prediction of perceived health and behaviour. Stress and Health, 32(5), 533-542. | 15 |
| Multidimensional Trauma Recovery & Resiliency Scale (MTRR) | Harvey, M. R., Liang, B., Harney, P. A., Koenen, K., Tummala-Narra, P., & Lebowitz, L. (2003). A multidimensional approach to the assessment of trauma impact, recovery and resiliency: Initial psychometric findings. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 6(2), 87-109 | 135 |
| Predictive 6-Factor Resilience Scale (PR6) | Rossouw, P. J., & Rossouw, J. G. (2016). The predictive 6-factor resilience scale: Neurobiological fundamentals and organizational application. International Journal of Neuropsychotherapy, 4(1), 31-45 | 16 |
| Psychological Resilience | Windle, G., Markland, D. A., & Woods, R. T. (2008). Examination of a theoretical model of psychological resilience in older age. Aging and Mental Health, 12(3), 285-292 | 19 |
| Resilience Scale | Wagnild, G., & Young, H. (1993). Development and psychometric evaluation of the Resilience Scale. Journal of nursing measurement, 1(2), 165-178 | 25 |
| Resilient Systems Scales | Maltby, J., Day, L., & Hall, S. (2015). Refining trait resilience: Identifying engineering, ecological, and adaptive facets from extant measures of resilience. PLoS ONE, 10(7), e0131826 | 12 |
| Response to Stressful Experiences Scale (RSES) | Johnson, D., Polusny, M., Erbes, C., King, D., King, L., Litz, B., & Southwick, S. (2011). Development and initial validation of the Response to Stressful Experiences Scale. Military Medicine, 176(2), 161-169 | 22 |
| State-Trait Assessment of Resilience Scale (STARS) | Lock, S., Rees, C. S., & Heritage, B. (2020). Development and validation of a brief measure of psychological resilience: The state–trait assessment of resilience scale. Australian Psychologist, 55(1), 10-25 | 13 |
| Scale | Citation | Number of Items |
| Adolescent Resilience Scale (ARS) | Oshio, A., Kaneko, H., Nagamine, S., & Nakaya, M. (2003). Construct Validity of the Adolescent Resilience Scale. Psychological Reports, 93(3_suppl), 1217-1222 | 21 |
| Ego Resilience Scale (for youth) | Bromley, E., Johnson, J. G., & Cohen, P. (2006). Personality strengths in adolescence and decreased risk of developing mental health problems in early adulthood. Comprehensive psychiatry, 47(4), 315-324 | 105 |
| Resilience Skills and Abilities Scale (RSAS) | Jew, C. L., Green, K. E., & Kroger, J. (1999). Development and validation of a measure of resiliency. Measurement and evaluation in counseling and development, 32(2), 75-89 | 35 |
| Resiliency Attitudes and Skills Profile (RASP) | Hurtes, K. P., & Allen, L. R. (2001). Measuring resiliency in youth: The resiliency attitudes and skills profile. Therapeutic recreation journal, 35(4), 333 | 34 |
| Resiliency Scale for Children and Adolescents (RSCA) | Prince-Embury, S. (2008). The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents, Psychological Symptoms, and Clinical Status in Adolescents. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 23(1), 41-56 | 64 |
| 7 C’s of Resilience Tool | Barger, J., Vitale, P., Gaughan, J. P., & Feldman-Winter, L. (2017). Measuring resilience in the adolescent population: a succinct tool for outpatient adolescent health. The Journal of pediatrics, 189, 201-206 | 21 |
Resilience Factors (Battery of Protective Factors)
| Scale | Citation | Number of Items |
| Baruth Protective Factors Inventory (BPFI) | Baruth, K. E., & Caroll, J. J. (2002). A formal assessment of resilience: The Baruth Protective Factors Inventory. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 58(3), 235–244 | 16 |
| Devereux Adult Resilience Survey (DARS) | Mackrain, M. (2007). Devereux adult resilience survey. Villanova, PA: The Devereux Foundation | 23 |
| Resilience Appraisals Scale | Johnson, J., Gooding, P. A., Wood, A. M., & Tarrier, N. (2010). Resilience as positive coping appraisals: Testing the schematic appraisals model of suicide (SAMS). Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48(3), 179-186 | 12 |
| Resilience Research Centre Adult Resilience Measure (RRC-ARM) | Liebenberg, L., & Moore, J. C. (2018). A social ecological measure of resilience for adults: The RRC-ARM. Social Indicators Research, 136(1), 1-19 | 28 |
| Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) | Friborg, O., Hjemdal, O., Rosenvinge, J., & Martinussen, M. (2003). A new rating scale for adult resilience: What are the central protective resources behind healthy adjustment? International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 12(2), 65-76 | 33 |
| Protective Factors for Resilience Scale (PFRS) | Harms, C., Pooley, J., & Cohen, L. (2017). The protective factors for resilience scale (PFRS): Development of the scale. Cogent Psychology, 4(1) | 20 |
| Scale of Protective Factors (SPF) | Ponce-Garcia, E., Madewell, A. N., & Kennison, S. M. (2015). The development of the scale of protective factors: Resilience in a violent trauma sample. Violence and victims, 30(5), 735-755 | 24 |
| Trauma Resilience Scale (TRS) | Madsen, M. D., & Abell, N. (2010). Trauma Resilience Scale: Validation of protective factors associated with adaptation following violence. Research on Social Work Practice, 20(2), 223-233 | 59 |
| Scale | Citation | Number of Items |
| Adolescent Resilience Questionnaire (ARQ) | Gartland, D., Bond, L., Olsson, C., Buzwell, S., & Sawyer, S. (2011). Development of a multi-dimensional measure of resilience in adolescents: The Adolescent Resilience Questionnaire. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 11(1), 134 | 88 |
| Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM) | Ungar, M., & Liebenberg, L. (2011). Assessing Resilience Across Cultures Using Mixed Methods: Construction of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 5(2), 126-149 | 28 |
| Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) | LeBuffe, P. A., & Naglieri, J. A. (1999). The devereux early childhood assessment. Lewisville, NC: Kaplan Press | 37 |
| Resilience and Youth Development Module | Constantine, N., & Benard, B. (2001). California Healthy Kids Survey Resilience Assessment Module: Technical Report. Journal of Adolescent Health, 28 | 56 |
| Resilience Protective Factors Checklist (RPFC) | Powell, K. M., Rahm-Knigge, R. L., & Conner, B. T. (2020). Resilience Protective Factors Checklist (RPFC): Buffering Childhood Adversity and Promoting Positive Outcomes. Psychological Reports | 25 |
| Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ) | Hjemdal, O., Friborg, O., Stiles, T., Martinussen, M., & Rosenvinge, J. (2006). A New Scale for Adolescent Resilience: Grasping the Central Protective Resources Behind Healthy Development. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 39(2), 84-96 | 39 |
| Youth Resiliency: Assessing Developmental Strengths (YR:ADS) | Donnon, T., & Hammond, W. (2007). A psychometric assessment of the self-reported youth resiliency: Assessing developmental strengths questionnaire. Psychological reports, 100(3), 963-978 | 94 |
Ahern NR, Kiehl EM, Lou Sole M, Byers J. (2006). A Review of Instruments Measuring Resilience. Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing, 29(2), 103-125
Cosco TD, Kaushal A, Richards M, Kuh D, Stafford M.(2016). Resilience measurement in later life: a systematic review and psychometric analysis. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 14(1)
Fisher DM, Law RD. (2020). How to Choose a Measure of Resilience: An Organizing Framework for Resilience Measurement. Applied Psychology
Mendenhall E, Kim AW. (2019).How to Fail a Scale: Reflections on a Failed Attempt to Assess Resilience. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 43(2), 315-325
Mochizuki J, Keating A, Liu W, Hochrainer‐Stigler S, Mechler R. (2018). An overdue alignment of risk and resilience? A conceptual contribution to community resilience. Disasters, 42(2), 361-391
Moore TM, White LK, Barzilay R, Calkins ME, Jones JD, Young JF, Gur RC, Gur RE. (2020). Development of a scale battery for rapid assessment of risk and resilience. Psychiatry Research, 112996
Moradi S, Vasandani V, Nejat A. (2019). A Review of Resilience Variables in the Context of Disasters. Journal of Emergency Management, 17(5), 403-432
Palacio GC, Krikorian A, Gómez-Romero MJ, Limonero JT. (2019). Resilience in Caregivers: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 1049909119893977
Pangallo A, Zibarras L, Lewis R, Flaxman P. (2015). Resilience Through the Lens of Interactionism: A Systematic Review. Psychological Assessment, 27(1)
Salisu I, Hashim N. (2017). A Critical Review of Scales Used in Resilience Research. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 19(4), 23-33
Satapathy S, Dang S, Sagar R, Dwivedi, SN. (2020). Resilience in Children and Adolescents Survived Psychologically Traumatic Life Events: A Critical Review of Application of Resilience Assessment Tools for Clinical Referral and Intervention. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse
Seko Y, Lamptey DL, Nalder E, King G. (2020). Assessing resiliency in paediatric rehabilitation: A critical review of assessment tools and applications. Child: Care, Health and Development, 46(3), 249-267
Smith-Osborne A, Whitehill Bolton K. (2013). Assessing resilience: A review of Measures Across the Life Course. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 10(2), 111-126
Vannest KJ, Ura SK, Lavadia C, Zolkoski S.(2019). Self-report Measures of Resilience in Children and Youth. Contemporary School Psychology, 1-10
Windle G, Bennett KM, Noyes J.(2011). A methodological review of resilience measurement scales. Health Quality of Life Outcomes, 9(1), 8
Zhou J, He B, He Y, Huang W, Zhu H, Zhang M, Wang Y. (2020.) Measurement properties of family resilience assessment questionnaires: a systematic review. Family Practice
Zolkoski SM, Bullock LM.(2012). Resilience in children and youth: A review. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(12), 2295-2303
Publications on Resilience
Bonanno GA, Westphal M, Mancini AD. Resilience to loss and potential trauma. Annual review of clinical psychology, 2011; 7, 511-535
Kalisch R, Baker D, Basten U, et al. The resilience framework as a strategy to fight stress-related disorders: current challenges and future perspectives. Nature Human Behaviour, 2017; 1(11), 784
Southwick SM, Bonanno GA, Masten AS, Panter-Brick C, Yehuda R. Resilience definitions, theory, and challenges: interdisciplinary perspectives. European journal of psychotraumatology, 2014; 5(1), 25338
Choi KW, Stein MB, Dunn EC, Koenen KC, Smoller JW (2019). Genomics and psychological resilience: a research agenda. Molecular psychiatry, 24, 1770-1778
Feder A, Torres SF, Southwick SM, Charney DS. (2019). The Biology of Human Resilience: Opportunities for Enhancing Resilience across the Lifespan. Biological Psychiatry 86(6), 443-453
Alonge O, Sonkarlay S, Gwaikolo, W, Fahim C, Cooper JL, Peters DH. (2019). Understanding the Role of Community Resilience in Addressing the Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic in Liberia: A Qualitative Study (Community Resilience in Liberia). Global Health Action, 12(1), 1662682
Crouse Quinn S. (2008). Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication in a Pandemic: A Model for Building Capacity and Resilience of Minority Communities. Health Promotion Practice, 9(4 Suppl), 18S-25S
Douglas PK, Douglas DB, Harrigan DC, Douglas KM. (2009). Preparing for Pandemic Influenza and Its Aftermath: Mental Health Issues Considered. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 11(3), 137
Garfin DR, Silver RC, Holman EA. (2020). The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-2019) Outbreak: Amplification of Public Health Consequences by Media Exposure. Health Psychology
Klomp RW, Jones L, Watanabe E, Thompson WW. (2020) CDC’s Multiple Approaches to Safeguard the Health, Safety, and Resilience of Ebola Responders. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 35 (1), 69-75
Maunder RG, Leszcz M, Savage D, et al. (2008). Applying the Lessons of SARS to Pandemic Influenza: an Evidence-Based Approach to Mitigating the Stress Experienced by Healthcare Workers. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 99(6), 486-488
Middaugh JP. (2008) Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Community Resiliency. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 299(5), 566-568
Ng SM, Chan TH, Chan CL, Lee AM, Yau JK, Chan CH, Lau J. (2006). Group Debriefing for People With Chronic Diseases During the SARS Pandemic: Strength-Focused and Meaning-Oriented Approach for Resilience and Transformation (SMART). Community Mental Health Journal, 42(1), 53-63
Taha S, Matheson K, Cronin T, Anisman H. (2014) Intolerance of Uncertainty, Appraisals, Coping, and Anxiety: The Case of the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic. British Journal of Health Psychology, 19(3), 592-605
NIA’s research portfolio in resilience