Factor Structure and Construct Validity of the Pain Resilience Scale Within Chinese Adult Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Samples

Recent U.S. studies of musculoskeletal pain have supported the structure and construct validity of the Pain Resilience Scale (PRS) as a pain-specific measure tapping capacities to regulate cognitions and emotions as well as behavioral perseverance despite ongoing pain. However, it is not clear whether psychometric support for the PRS extends to chronic musculoskeletal pain samples in other countries or whether PRS scores contribute to adaptation beyond the impact of general resilience. To address these gaps, the factor structure, construct validity, and incremental validity of the PRS were assessed in exploratory factor analysis (EFA; 417 women, 134 men) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; 421 women, 135 men) samples of Chinese adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain who completed back-translated versions of the PRS and a battery of self-report measures previously validated in Chinese samples. A 2-factor, EFA-derived version of the PRS featuring a 7-item cognitive/affective positivity subscale and a 3-item behavioral perseverance subscale had the best overall fit from several hypothesized alternatives. Derived PRS subscales had significant moderate correlations with conceptually related measures and low correlations with conceptually less-related background characteristics, respectively. PRS subscale scores, particularly cognitive and affective positivity, accounted for significant unique variance in functioning independent of general resilience.