Establishment of the Psychometric Properties of a Disaster Resilience Measuring Tool for Healthcare Rescuers in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to test the validity and reliability of a tool for measuring the disaster resilience of healthcare disaster rescuers. A cross-sectional study involving 936 healthcare disaster rescuers of the Sichuan Disaster Response Team was conducted to establish the psychometric properties of the disaster resilience measuring tool (DRMT). Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and correlation analysis were adopted to analyze the data. Item analysis showed that all but three items had the critical ratio over 3, which indicates adequate discriminability for inclusion in the measuring tool. The exploratory factor analysis showed that 65.93% of the total variance was explained by four factors—self-efficacy, social support, positive growth, and altruism. The confirmatory factor analysis showed goodness of fit for the four-factor model: CMIN/DF (2.846), GFI (0.916 ≥ 0.90), CFI (0.949 ≥ 0.90), AGFI (0.891 ≥ 0.80), and RMSEA (0.063 ≤ 0.08). Criterion validity demonstrated significant associations of the DRMT and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (P < 0.01, r = 0.566). Convergent validity was established by correlation with stress (P < 0.05, r = − 0.095), depression (P < 0.01, r = − 0.127), posttraumatic stress disorder-PCL-C (P < 0.05, r = − 0.100), compassion satisfaction (P < 0.01, r = 0.536), and burnout (P < 0.01, r = − 0.330). The DRMT demonstrated adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.84) and stability over the two-week study period (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.85), and a cut-off point of 61 was suggested. The disaster resilience measuring tool has satisfactory psychometric properties and is a valid, reliable, and valuable instrument for assessing disaster resilience in healthcare rescue workers. The scale needs to be tested further among other populations and those from other cultures.

The disaster resilience trajectory of the first batch front-line nurses at fighting the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Wuhan: A qualitative study

“…Other researchers believed that finding meaning when we could not control the results was the key for resilience [ 35 ]. The phenomena called post-traumatic growth is also sign of resilience trajectory, reflecting the ability to depend on and further develop personal and social resources after the disaster, aiming to lead in positive adaptation [ 20 , 21 , 36 ]. The front-line nurses in our study have reached another stage of resilience, which is post-traumatic growth [ 16 ], we named it as personal growth.…”

“…To lower front-line nurses' anxiety and fear, health care organizations should make efforts in updating their knowledge on infection control and personal protection techniques, ensuring a safe working environment and enough protective supplies [ 5 ]. In addition, continuous training, monitoring, and supervision of infection control were also vital in lowering front-line nurses' fear of the COVID-19 [ 5 ], which was a vital element of disaster resilience for healthcare rescuers [ 20 , 21 ]. In order to enhance front-line nurses’ psychological tolerance, it is of necessary for authorities to consider in providing psychological counseling and support services to them.…”

“…Our study offers a detailed clue on how nurses build their resilience while deploying in Wuhan COVID-19 designated hospitals, on which their disaster resilience trajectories were also conceptualized. The findings of the study have significant meaning in enhancing psychological wellbeing of those who had low level of disaster resilience in the future [ 20 , 21 ].…”

“…According to the literature, resilience could be “recovery” or “post-traumatic growth”, recovery means that individuals can restore normal psychosocial functioning following a short period of impairment immediately after the disaster; post-traumatic growth indicates a positive adaptation to a disaster, individuals cannot only ensue from recovery, but also develop personal and social resources [ 16 ]. Disaster resilience was defined as the personal ability and preparedness of rescue workers in response to disastrous events in an effective manner, as well as their state of adaptation after deployment [ [19] , [20] , [21] ]. Trajectory refers to a developmental pathway that follows changes over period of time [ 16 ].…”