The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) - Testing The Invariance of A Uni-Dimensional Resilience Measure That Is Independent of Positive and Negative Affect
The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) - Testing The Invariance of A Uni-Dimensional Resilience Measure That Is Independent of Positive and Negative Affect
The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) - Testing The Invariance of A Uni-Dimensional Resilience Measure That Is Independent of Positive and Negative Affect
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 9 April 2009
Received in revised form 11 November 2009
Accepted 19 November 2009
Available online 12 January 2010
Keywords:
Resilience
Factor analysis
Well-being
Epidemiology
Psychometrics
a b s t r a c t
Resilience comprises cognitive and behavioural tendencies that reect dispositional character traits and
patterns of behaviour that develop through life experience. Resilience is associated with positive mental
and physical health outcomes although debate over its function as a predictor and/or outcome of successful stressful life conditions exists. Findings are confounded by a range of operational denitions. This
study tested the factorial structure of the Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and assessed
its independence of two broad affective constructs, positive and negative affect. Participants (n = 1775)
comprised the youngest adult cohort from the PATH study from Canberra, Australia. Results supported
a uni-dimensional CD-RISC measure that was independent of affect at an item level, but supported strong
associations between resilience and affect factors. Comparable Goodness of Fit Indices supported strict
invariance between genders on an oblique 3-factor model of resilience and affect.
2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Resilience is a multi-dimensional construct that comprises a
network of favourable attitudes and behaviours that enable adaptive coping strategies to acute and chronic stressful life events (Lamond et al., 2008; Rutter, 1985). Resilient people are typically
characterised by internal locus of control, positive self-image and
optimism (e.g. Cederblad, 1996; Werner & Smith, 1992). These
resilient and hardy characteristics are associated with better physical and mental health outcomes (Connor & Davidson, 2003), more
positive adaptive behaviours to negative life events (Aspinall &
MacNamara, 2005) and are protective against the onset of PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (King, King, Fairbank, Keane, & Adams,
1998). In line with proponents of positive psychology (e.g. Ryan
& Deci, 2001), resilience is indicative of positive mental health
(Maddi & Khoshaba, 1994).
Despite the consensus over the characteristics and correlates of
resilience, agreement relating to its temporal stability has been
less unanimous. Evidence that purports a heritable component of
resilience, as indicated by biological markers such as higher levels
of dopamine, neuropeptide Y, testosterone, and increased functionality of 5-HT1A and benzodiazepine receptors (Charney, 2004; Gervai et al., 2005), supports temporal stability and suggests resilience
incorporates a set of temporally-stable psychological resources
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 02 6125 3132.
E-mail address: [email protected] (R.A. Burns).
0191-8869/$ - see front matter 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.paid.2009.11.026
available to the individual throughout the lifespan (Vaishnavi, Connor, & Davidson, 2007). This is also supported by longitudinal survey data (e.g. Cederblad, 1996; Werner & Smith, 1992). In contrast,
notions of resilience as behavioural and cognitive responses to a
specic event have been proffered (e.g. Lamond et al., 2008) and
ones capacity for resilience appears shaped by age and life experience (e.g. Gillespie, Chaboyer, & Wallis, in press). Consequently,
resilience is described as either a set of heritable traits, an outcome
of stressful life transactions, or as a process-construct reecting an
interaction between trait attitudes and behaviours with life experiences (Ahern, Kiehl, Sole, & Byers, 2006).
Resilience measures commonly comprise self-report, have not
been extensively validated, nor has their application been widely
documented (Ahern et al., 2006). Yet, growing recognition of the
impact of positive psychological states for individual and social
well-being (Huppert, 2008), suggests an evaluation of available
measures of resilience and their underlying factor structure and
comparability at different stages of the life course, is needed. Similar positive well-being measures are now widely incorporated into
national health surveys including the Health and Retirement Survey and the National Survey of Midlife Development (e.g. Ryff,
Keyes, & Hughes, 2004), and the German Socioeconomic Panel
(e.g. Van Landeghem, 2008).
Well-being research typically delineates between related cognitive and affective psychological constructs (Ryan & Deci, 2001). As
a cognitive psychological resource, resilience may function to optimise subjective well-being by increasing positive and decreasing
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R.A. Burns, K.J. Anstey / Personality and Individual Differences 48 (2010) 527531
529
R.A. Burns, K.J. Anstey / Personality and Individual Differences 48 (2010) 527531
Table 1
Correlations between factors of the a priori ve CD-RISC model.
Factor
Factor
Factor
Factor
Factor
1
2
3
4
5
Factor 1
Factor 2
Factor 3
Factor 4
Factor 5
1
.878
.875
.839
.253
.878
1
.901
.718
.217
.875
.901
1
.767
.248
.839
.718
.767
1
.275
.253
.217
.248
.275
1
4. Discussion
Our results failed to support the hypothesis that the CD-RISC
comprises multiple resilience factors (e.g. Connor & Davidson,
2003), but rather supported a one-factor CD-RISC model (Campbell-Sills & Stein, 2007) comprising a revised 22-item CD-RISC
scale. Published results (Connor & Davidson, 2003) revealed that
CD-RISC items 3 and 9 would be problematic in a uni-dimensional
context since they reported cross-factor loadings and item-total
scale correlations that were low. This was supported in this study
suggesting that these items tap a latent construct different to the
other CD-RISC items. The failure of CD-RISC item 2 to load onto
the nal solution was not surprising since its item-total scale correlation reported in Connor and Davidsons (2003) analysis was
also comparatively low.
Table 2
A summary table of Goodness of Fit Indices from CFA of three models of the CD-RISC.
v2
Df
AGFI
CFI
RMSEA
AIC
Model comparisonsd
Five-factor model
Uni-dimensional model
10-Item uni-dimensional model
2530.731
2874.717
200.105
265
230
35
.000
.000
.000
.858
.826
.963
.878
.852
.972
.069 (.067.072)
.081 (.078.083)
.052 (.045.059)
2650.731
2966.717
240.105
M1 > M2
Model 4
Model 5b
154.866
155.385
144
127
.253
.044
.984
.984
.999
.998
.007 (.000.013)
.011 (.002.017)
516.866
458.358
Model 6c
26.646
21
.183
.992
.999
.012 (.000.025)
94.646
Model 1a
Model 2b
Model 3c
M3 > M1
M3 > M2
M4 = M3
M5 = M3
M5 = M4
M6 > M3
M6 = M4
M6 = M5
530
R.A. Burns, K.J. Anstey / Personality and Individual Differences 48 (2010) 527531
Table 3
Item loadings from a CFA analysis of the CD-RISC and PANAS items.
Whole sample
RISC items
17
24
16
4
12
5
11
23
18
14
8
15
19
7
21
22
10
6
1
25
20
13
PANAS
Scared
Nervous
Afraid
Distressed
Guilty
Jittery
Upset
Ashamed
Enthusiastic
Interested
Inspired
Excited
Determined
Strong
Proud
Alert
Attentive
Active
CD-RISC
Males
NA
PA
Females
CD-RISC
NA
PA
CD-RISC
NA
PA
.750
.723
.685
.684
.678
.672
.663
.647
.618
.617
.611
.608
.607
.585
.532
.523
.476
.473
.468
.464
.459
.362
.032
.065
.004
.064
.036
.022
.010
.022
.016
.111
.064
.035
.055
.040
.012
.194
.019
.025
.097
.003
.091
.057
.026
.066
.035
.017
.049
.043
.105
.079
.120
.042
.027
.008
.058
.040
.202
.200
.057
.012
.002
.179
.052
.124
.737
.721
.718
.697
.691
.692
.680
.599
.640
.632
.582
.592
.561
.563
.514
.521
.506
.493
.424
.423
.451
.370
.100
.092
.025
.085
.093
.023
.005
.054
.053
.143
.060
.025
.062
.026
.014
.207
.026
.062
.100
.010
.097
.091
.005
.080
.034
.055
.054
.023
.089
.086
.109
.081
.051
.006
.007
.022
.200
.190
.070
.020
.015
.211
.040
.181
.752
.721
.659
.669
.672
.651
.650
.678
.603
.603
.625
.617
.635
.597
.555
.524
.474
.443
.501
.500
.467
.390
.021
.047
.008
.040
.020
.023
.025
.013
.012
.071
.070
.057
.043
.045
.011
.194
.016
.015
.096
.019
.075
.086
.057
.057
.041
.023
.037
.063
.113
.087
.129
.005
.016
.003
.089
.044
.206
.210
.036
.008
.013
.148
.061
.070
.002
.054
.009
.037
.039
.022
.045
.058
.003
.028
.041
.037
.138
.045
.030
.047
.007
.003
.785
.741
.737
.709
.666
.658
.649
.645
.034
.005
.004
.048
.149
.140
.021
.020
.084
.093
.026
.100
.017
.155
.001
.069
.195
.030
.873
.830
.749
.736
.724
.670
.644
.619
.618
.613
.007
.071
.005
.002
.035
.020
.048
.015
.011
.044
.036
.041
.134
.052
.058
.065
.008
.038
.771
.667
.691
.767
.649
.652
.652
.707
.033
.012
.016
.041
.144
.117
.007
.046
.046
.076
.042
.102
.005
.121
.037
.081
.195
.046
.856
.793
.748
.749
.700
.644
.673
.581
.578
.674
.002
.051
.011
.065
.039
.028
.050
.089
.010
.025
.046
.030
.147
.040
.007
.034
.008
.022
.789
.792
.764
.662
.680
.664
.638
.613
.035
.015
.005
.045
.153
.141
.037
.012
.115
.099
.016
.108
.028
.185
.028
.057
.204
.026
.879
.854
.748
.721
.737
.698
.618
.654
.643
.580
Bold and italics type indicate the 10-items identied in Campbell-Sills and Steins (2007) analyses.
Table 4
Multi-groups analysis of a three-factor model of CD-RISC and PANAS testing for invariance between gender.
Unconstrained model
Constrained measurement weights
Constrained structural co-variances
Constrained measurement residuals
v2
df
AGFI
CFI
RMSEA
v2.diff. test
2950.936
3040.188
3057.363
3289.363
1354
1391
1397
1497
.000
.000
.000
.000
.905
.905
.905
.905
.957
.955
.955
.952
.026
.026
.026
.026
p < .001
p < .001
p < .001
(.025.027)
(.025.027)
(.025.027)
(.025.027)
v2 diff. test computed with the unconstrained model as the reference model.
Support for our uni-variate CD-RISC model is reected in the reported GFI and that most of the explained variance was accounted
for by the rst factor. Our revised 22-item model indicated CDRISCs independence of two broad affect states, with moderate
coefcients between affective and cognitive well-being components reported. In comparison to Campbell-Sills and Steins
(2007) abridged 10-item CD-RISC model, the longer uni-dimensional model performed comparatively. Importantly, examination
of the item loadings in our EFA highlighted the limitation of using
an abridged version of the CD-RISC as the 10-items reported in
Campbell-Sills and Steins (2007) analyses were not the strongest
loading items in our representative community sample. However,
whilst other manifest items were more indicative of the resilience
latent construct in our sample, a strong association (r = .950) between the factor scores of the longer and shorter scale forms suggests that these differences are not substantial and that the two
scale forms are comparable. We recognise that a shorter item pool
is more time efcient and user-friendly within the context of a larger battery of survey questionnaires. Further factorial analysis of
all the CD-RISC items may yet indicate consistency in those items
that are identied as common indicators of a uni-dimensional
model of resilience for a short scale format.
Resilience may reect a multi-dimensional structure of self attitudes. As with other models of self-referent beliefs (e.g. Shavelson,
Hubner, & Stanton, 1976) generalised resilience may reect a set of
latent constructs that comprise specic resilience components
R.A. Burns, K.J. Anstey / Personality and Individual Differences 48 (2010) 527531
which relate to an individuals array of coping strategies, self-efcacy beliefs and perceived degree of self-determination. Consequently, measurement of context-specic resilience beliefs may
better indicate the role of resilience in providing a buffer against
the impact of life events. This is clearly an area that needs further
renement as is delineating the role of resilience as an outcome or
predictive construct, however the CD-RISC does not assess such a
model. Importantly though, the CD-RISC is independent of affect
at an item level and supports previous ndings relating to the related yet distinctive nature of cognitive and affective components
of well-being (Burns & Machin, 2009).
A number of limitations are identied. The CD-RISC scale was
only introduced in the third wave of the PATH study and to date,
data collection has only been completed for the younger adult cohort. It is important to test the validity of these ndings with the
other age cohorts as data become available. Furthermore, participants were relatively highly educated and ethnically non-diverse
and so the ndings need to be evaluated in more diverse populations. Age effects and other sampling characteristics may inuence
item response which can be reected in item loadings in EFA. However, this is unlikely to impact on these ndings since participants
were similar in age. In fact, analysis of invariance of the CD-RISC
and the PANAS revealed consistency in factor structure between
gender and supported strict invariance. Although the results of this
study are more appropriate for generalisation to the Australian
population, a further strength is that participants were drawn from
the electoral roll, unlike other analyses (e.g. Campbell-Sills & Stein,
2007) which comprise convenience and clinical samples.
5. Conclusion
This study supported the uni-dimensional structure of the CDRISC and differentiated the CD-RISC items with affect whilst a
strong relationship between these constructs at a higher-order level was reported. Future research should identify either a causal or
reciprocal relationship between resilience and affect. Also, the
independence of resilience with other cognitive well-being constructs, including mastery, has received little empirical
substantiation.
Acknowledgements
We thank Trish Jacomb, Karen Maxwell, Helen Christensen, Andrew MacKinnon, Peter Butterworth and Simon Easteal and the
PATH interviewers. Funding was provided by NHMRC grant #
418039.
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