Assessing psychological resilience: translation and validation of the Chinese version of the resilience evaluation scale (RES)

Background The Resilience Evaluation Scale (RES) is a novel and freely available measure of psychological resilience (factored into self-confidence and self-efficacy). To date, psychometric properties were evaluated in Dutch and American samples, but not yet in a Chinese sample. Objective We aimed to validate the RES in a Chinese sample by examining its factor structure, reliability, and construct validity. Methods The RES was translated into Chinese following a cross-cultural translation and adaptation procedure. Self-report questionnaires including the RES, exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTE's), the PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and scales for conceptually related constructs of psychological resilience were then administered via an online survey. Results In total, 484 Chinese adults (females, 66.9%; age: 27.33 +/- 6.86 years) participated. Parallel analysis results suggested a one-factor structure for the Chinese RES. The Chinese RES demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88). Construct validity was demonstrated through significant associations with hypothesised related constructs and through a relation with lower levels of PTSD among the PTE-exposed subsample (n = 116) via the mediating role of avoidant coping strategies, i.e. behavioural disengagement and self-blame. Conclusion Our results suggest that the RES is a reliable and valid assessment of psychological resilience to use in Chinese, in addition to its Dutch and English versions. The RES could potentially be adopted to measure psychological resilience in cross-cultural contexts.