Measuring Psychological Resilience in Aging: Findings From the Health and Retirement Study and National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health

Abstract

Background and Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the measurement properties of two emerging psychological resilience (PR) measures constructed for use in large national data sources and to test their reliability across social axes including race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Research Design and Methods Using 2006/2008 data, the Simplified Resilience Score (SRS) and the Add Health Resilience Scale (AHRS) were tested using overall and multi-group measurement models in a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework. Results Both PR measures perform well as reliable, one factor latent constructs capturing adaptive capacity at various life stages. Both measures showed measurement consistency across social axes, with specific differences in item measurement across some racial/ethnic groups. Discussion and Implications The results indicate these measures represent high quality, consistent measures of PR in nationally representative aging and health data. The availability of reliable, valid measures of PR enables consistent evaluation of resilience in health and aging processes.