Abstract
Purpose: Psychological resilience is considered to be the ability of an individual to adjust positively to adversity. This study was conducted to develop a 'Resilience Scale for Nurses' (RSN) and to describe the psychometric evaluation of the RSN.
Method: After reviewing the literature about resilience and related topics, a 32-item RSN was constructed and administered to 464 nurses employed at a university hospital. For evaluating concurrent validity, constructs theoretically relevant to the RSN, such as the 'Japanese Self-Esteem Scale,' the 'Japanese Hardiness Scale 20,' the 'Japanese version of the Beck Depression Inventory,' and the 'Japanese version of Burn-out Scale,' were also employed.
Results: A total of 429 nurses responded to the questionnaire (92.5 % response rate). The principal factor method suggested a four-factor solution, consisting of 'Positivity in nursing,' 'Interpersonal skill,' 'Having an anchor in personal life,' and 'Response to novelty.' The levels of Cronbach's alpha for the overall RSN (.84) as well as each of the four factors (87; .77; 76; .63, respectively) were respectable. Positive correlations of the RSN were found with the Self-Esteem Scale and the Hardiness Personality Scale, and negative correlations of the RSN were found with the Beck Depression Inventory and the Burn-out Scale.
Conclusion: The levels of Cronbach's alpha supported the internal consistency reliability of the RSN. All of the four factors reflected characteristics of resilience as had already been indicated by the previous studies, supporting the construct validity of the RSN. Significant correlations of the RSN with wellestablished measures of mental health provided evidence for concurrent validity.
