Development of a resilience item bank and short forms.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a publicly available, psychometrically sound item bank and short forms for measuring resilience in any population, but especially resilience in individuals with chronic medical conditions or long-term disability. Research Methods: A panel of 9 experts including disability researchers, clinical psychologists, and health outcomes researchers developed a definition of resilience that guided item development. The rigorous methodology used focus groups, cognitive interviews, and modern psychometric theory quantitative methods, including item response theory (IRT). Items were administered to a sample of people with chronic medical conditions commonly associated with disability (N ϭ 1,457) and to a general population sample (N ϭ 300) representative of the Unites States general population with respect to age, gender, race, and ethnicity. Results: The final item bank includes 28 items calibrated to IRT with the scores on a T-metric. A mean of 50 represents the mean resilience in the general population sample. Four and eight item short forms are available, and their scores are highly correlated with the item bank score (r Ն .94). Reliability is excellent across most of the resilience continuum. Initial analyses provide strong support for validity of the score. Conclusions: The findings support reliability and validity of the University of Washington Resilience Scale (UWRS) for assessing resilience in any population, including individuals with chronic health conditions or disabilities. It can be administered using computerized adaptive testing or by short forms. Impact and ImplicationsThis study describes the development and psychometric properties of the first resilience measure using stakeholder engagement to define the construct as well as modern psychometric methods, including item response theory (IRT). The UWRS has significant potential to advance both practice and research through its range of uses. It offers flexibility to use computerized adaptive testing or short forms, reducing respondent burden. It is suitable for assessing resilience in the general population as well as people with chronic health conditions or disability. The UWRS is also freely available, which facilitates its use in both research and clinical practice. Use of this psychometrically sound, person-centered, brief, flexible, and free resilience instrument will facilitate observational and intervention research, as well as research comparing resilience across populations and studies.

Language teachers’ coping strategies during the Covid-19 conversion to online teaching: Correlations with stress, wellbeing and negative emotions

“…Cronbach’s α = 0.91. Resilience ( Amtmann et al., 2020 ): An eight-item index of resilience was included with items reflecting keeping calm, keeping going, bouncing back, and doing important things. Cronbach’s α = 0.89.…”

Distress and risk perception in people living with multiple sclerosis during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Participants completed validated measures to assess for mindfulness (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-15 (FFMQ-15)) (Baer et al, 2008), intolerance of uncertainty (Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale -Short Form (IUS -Short Form)) (Carleton et al, 2007), optimism (Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R)) (Scheier et al, 1994), loneliness (PROMIS Loneliness Fixed Form) (Hahn et al, 2010), and resilience (University of Washington Resilience Scale (UWRS)) (Amtmann et al, 2020). Each of these measures has been fully validated and demonstrates sound psychometrics (Baer et al, 2008;Carleton et al, 2007;Scheier et al, 1994;Hahn et al, 2010;Amtmann et al, 2020). The measures of mindfulness, intolerance of uncertainty, and optimism have each also been previously used in studies of people living with MS (Molton et al, 2019;Senders et al, 2014;Calandri et al, 2017), and the resilience scale was calibrated in part on people with chronic illnesses, including MS (Amtmann et al, 2020).…”

“…Each of these measures has been fully validated and demonstrates sound psychometrics (Baer et al, 2008;Carleton et al, 2007;Scheier et al, 1994;Hahn et al, 2010;Amtmann et al, 2020). The measures of mindfulness, intolerance of uncertainty, and optimism have each also been previously used in studies of people living with MS (Molton et al, 2019;Senders et al, 2014;Calandri et al, 2017), and the resilience scale was calibrated in part on people with chronic illnesses, including MS (Amtmann et al, 2020).…”

Health Behaviors, Wellness, and Multiple Sclerosis Amid COVID-19

“… 19 , 20 , 21 Anxiety disorders are also more prevalent and associated with a range of negative effects on health and well-being. 21 Conversely, resilience, the ability to regain or maintain well-being despite experiencing adversity or chronic stressors, is common among people with MS 22 and positively affects MS symptoms, function, and quality of life. 23 , 24 , 25 Fortunately, robust evidence indicates that psychological interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, stress management, self-hypnosis training, and/or self-management skills training, improve depression, 26 , 27 stress, 28 fatigue, 29 pain, 30 , 31 , 32 and sleep.…”