Background: Psychological resilience is known as a protective factor against mental health disorders for which valid measures are indispensable. The present work aims to evaluate the Resilience Scale-5 (RS-5) psychometrically, and provide norm values.
Methods: Data from the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS), encompassing 7,496 participants aged 25 to 86, spanning the years 2017 to 2022, was used. Selectivity, item difficulty, internal consistency, construct and factor validity, as well as factorial invariance were tested. Additionally, correlations and associations with depression, anxiety, and sociodemographic factors were determined. Furthermore, norm values were provided.
Results: The RS-5 displayed robust psychometric properties. Participants reported an average resilience score of 28.94 (SD = 5.53, median = 30, IQR = 6, range = 5-35), with those aged ≥75 exhibiting the highest resilience levels (M = 30.21, SD = 5.75, median = 32, IQR = 7). The RS-5 displayed a very good model fit, affirming measurement invariance across sex and age decades. Construct validity found support through anticipated intercorrelations with related psychological constructs. Significant correlations (p < .001) linked higher resilience with female gender, advanced age, higher education, elevated household income, and diminished psychological distress.
Conclusion: The RS-5 emerged as a reliable and economic instrument for assessing psychological resilience in individuals aged 25 to 86. The study unraveled distinct sociodemographic characteristics significantly tied to resilience levels within this cohort. In contributing recent norm values tailored to the German population, this research enhances the practical applicability of the RS-5 across diverse contexts and enriches our comprehension of the demographic nuances associated with psychological resilience.
Copyright: © 2024 Reinwarth et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.