Factor-analysis-and-Psychometric-evaluation

FactoranalysisandPsychometricevaluationoFtheconnor-davidsonresiliencescale(cd-risc)withchinesePeoPleXiaonanYuandJianXinZhangChineseAcademyofSciences,Beijing,People’sRepublicofChinaThisstudyexaminesthepsychometricpropertiesoftheChineseversionofConnorandDavidson’sResilienceScale(CD-RISC;2003),anAmericaninstrumentoriginatingfromaposttraumaticstressdisorderresearchprogram.ConfirmatoryfactoranalysisoftheChinesedatafailedtoverifytheoriginal5-factorstructureofCD-RISCobtainedintheUSA,whileexploratoryfactoranalysisresultedina3-factorstructureofresilience(labeledrespectivelyasTenacity,Strength,andOptimism).ThereliabilitycoefficientoftheChineseversionofCD-RISCwas0.91.ThevalidityofCD-RISCwasalsosatisfyingintermsoftheactualdatamatchingtheexpectedcorrelationbetweenresiliencemeasureandthevariablesofself-esteem,lifesatisfaction,andpersonalitytraitfactorsofNEO-FFI.ItisconcludedthattheconstructofresilienceanditsmeasurementfromtheWestcanbehelpfulandapplicableinunderstandingChineseadaptivebehaviors,however,theunderstandingoftheconstructmayalsoneedsomemodificationaccordingtoChineseculture.Keywords:resilience,factorstructure,psychometricproperties,culture,ChineseversionofConnorandDavidson’sResilienceScale,tenacity,strength,optimism.Decadesofresearchonresiliencehaveseentheemergenceanddevelopmentofpositivepsychology.Resiliencehasbeenusedtorepresenttheindividual’scapabilityofsurvivalandadjustmentafterexperiencingserioustraumaticevents.Ithasbeendefinedaspersonalcharacteristicsthatcouldpromoteone’sSOCIALBEHAVIORANDPERSONALITY,2007,35(1),19-30©SocietyforPersonalityResearch(Inc.)19XiaonanYuandJianxinZhang,InstituteofPsychology,ChineseAcademyofSciences,Beijing,People’sRepublicofChina.Appreciationisduetoreviewersincluding:KarenAroian,PhD,CollegeofNursing,WayneStateUniversity,356Cohn,5557CassAvenue,Detroit,MI48202,USA,Email:[e-mail];MarySueV.Heilemann,PhD,RN,UCLASchoolofNursing,FactorBldg,Room5-252,Box956919,LosAngeles,CA90095-6919,USA,Email:[e-mail]ndenceandreprintrequeststo:JianxinZhang,InstituteofPsychology,ChineseAcademyofSciences,10ADatunRoad,ChaoyangDistrict,Beijing,100101,P.R.China.Phone:[phone];Fax:[phone];Email:[e-mail]:[e-mail]ILIENCE20positiveadaptationunderstressandadversity(e.g.,Wagnild,2003).TugadeandFredrickson(2004,p.320)arguedthat“psychologicalresiliencereferstoeffectivecopingandadaptationalthoughfacedwithloss,hardship,oradversity”.Alongthelinesoftheseconceptualframeworks,severalpsychologicalinstrumentshavebeendevelopedtomeasureresilience(Block&Kreman,1996;Wagnild&Young,1993).TheseinstrumentshavebeenprovedtobereliableandvalidintheWest,andinturnhavehelpedresearchersfurtherclarifytheconstructofresilienceontheonehand,andontheotherhand,haveprovidedpracticaltoolsforpractitionerstofindwaysofinterventiontoenhancetheindividual’sresilienceinthereal-lifeenvironment(Bosworth&Earthman,2002;Rak&Patterson,1996;Yu&Zhang,2005).Amongtheseinstruments,anewlydevelopedscale–Connor-DavidsonResilienceScale(CD-RISC;Connor&Davidson,2003),hasearnedmuchattentionfromresearchersforitshighsensitivitytooverallimprovementofpatientssufferingfromposttraumaticstressdisorder(PTSD)afterreceivingpsychologicaltreatments.Thisscalehasalsobeenadministeredtoothersamplesincludingover1,000normalparticipantsinthecommunity,primary-careoutpatients,psychiatricinpatients,andgeneralizedanxietydisorderpatients.TheresultsdemonstratedthatCD-RISCwasareliableandvalidmeasurementofresilience(Connor&Davidson).AlaterstudyshowedthatresilientsurvivorsofviolenttraumaexhibitedbetterhealthandlowerseverityofPTSDsymptomsthandidthosewhowerenotresilient(Connor,Davidson,&Lee,2003).Factoranalysisofthe25itemsofCD-RISCresultedin5factors.Thefirstfactorwasnamedaspersonalcompetence,highstandards,andtenacity,endorsingone’sstrongsenseofpowerandadherencetoone’sgoalwhenfacingsetbacksituations.Oneexampleofanitemis“noteasilydiscouragedbyfailure”.Thesecondfactorwaslabeledastrustinone’sinstincts,toleranceofnegativeaffect,andstrengtheningeffectsofstress.Thefactorfocusedonone’scalmness,decision,andpromptnesswhencopingwithstress,forinstance,“focusandthinkcarefully”.Thethirdfactormeasuredpositiveacceptanceofchangeandsecurerelationshipswithothers.Thefactorwasmainlyrelatedtoone’sadaptability,asshownbyoneoftheitems:“abletoadapttochange”.Thefourthfactor,namedascontrol,impliedone’scontrolofachievingone’sowngoalandgettingassistancefromothers.Thelastfactor,namedasspiritualinfluences,assessedone’sfaithinGodorinfate(Connor&Davidson,2003).This5-factorstructurewouldhavebroadapplicationsinpsychiatricandpsychologicalinterventions,andevenineducationalpracticestonurturechildrenwithhighresilience.Asaself-regulatingpsychologicalmechanism,resiliencecouldprotectpeoplefromadverseconsequencesofhardtimes.Onthisbasis,theconstructofresilienceisbelievedtobeauniversalone.However,sinceculturesaresodifferentintheirgeological,historicalandsocialenvironments,therealitiesofadversityandhardASSESSMENTOFCHINESERESILIENCE21timesmaybe