Psychometric properties of the 10‐item Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale in Chinese earthquake victims

Aim: Resilience refers to positive adaption in the face of stress or trauma. Assessing resilience is crucial in trauma‐related research and practice. The 10‐item Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD‐RISC) has been demonstrated to be a valid and reliable tool to achieve this goal. This study was designed to examine the psychometric properties of the 10‐item CD‐RISC in a sample of Chinese earthquake victims. Methods: A total of 341 participants (185 women, 156 men) aged 20–63 years were recruited from a psychological relief program supported by the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences following the ‘Wenchuan’ earthquake. The participants were given the 10‐item CD‐RISC and the 17‐item post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) subscale of the Los Angeles Symptom Checklist (LASC) 4 months after the earthquake. Results: The results of exploratory factor analysis indicated that a single‐factor model consistent with the original design of the 10‐item CD‐RISC was support. The scale was also demonstrated to have good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91) and test–retest reliability ( r = 0.90 for a two‐week interval). Scores on the scale could reflect different levels of resilience in populations that are thought to be differentiated (probable PTSD vs healthy controls, t (339) = −7.60, P < 0.01, Cohen's d = 0.84). Moreover, the total resilience scores were significantly negatively correlated with scores on total PTSD scale and its three subscales for all participants. Conclusion: The Chinese version of the 10‐item CD‐RISC has excellent psychometric properties, and is applicable for Chinese people.