Psychometric properties of the German version of the brief resilience scale in persons with mental disorders

Abstract

The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) was developed to assess individual differences in the ability to recover from stress despite adversity and has been translated into several languages. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties (i.e., item characteristics, reliability, factor structure, measurement invariance, and validity) of the German version of the BRS in persons with mental disorders. A total of N = 5,986 persons admitted to inpatient treatment completed the German version of the BRS and other questionnaires. The discriminating power of the items, the difficulty of the items, and the internal consistency were all sufficient. Moreover, confirmatory factor analysis supported the two-factor structure of the BRS, consistent with the findings of the German validation study in a non-clinical sample. The BRS also had strict measurement invariance across diagnostic groups for mental disorders according to ICD-10. Validity was examined using a network analysis, in which the BRS demonstrated positive correlations with life satisfaction, self-efficacy and optimism and negative correlations with somatic symptoms, anxiety, insomnia, and depression. The BRS can serve as a reliable and valid tool for assessing resilience in clinical settings, facilitating the identification of persons with potentially lower psychosocial resources.