Psychology & well-being
Resilience scale: what it is and how to measure it
- Concept
- Resilience
- Field
- Psychology & well-being
- Scales in the library
- 1
- Items
- 6
Resilience, in its original sense, is the ability to 'bounce back' and return to normal after stress or adversity. The BRS of Smith et al. (2008) asks respondents directly how quickly or slowly they recover, unlike resource-based scales such as optimism or social support. In Vietnam, the concept suits studies on academic pressure and occupational burnout, and serves as a mediator or moderator between stress and outcomes.
Comparing the scales
| Scale | Author (year) | Items | Response format | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resilience (ability to bounce back) (BRS) Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) | Smith et al. (2008) | 6 | Likert 5-point | Choose when measuring recovery ability as an outcome; 6 items, with BRS2, BRS4, and BRS6 reverse-coded. |
Items of each scale
Original English wording from the published source. Replace placeholders such as [system] or
[brand] with what your study is about, and pilot the questionnaire with 20 to 30 respondents first.
Resilience (ability to bounce back) (BRS) · Brief Resilience Scale (BRS)
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| BRS1 | I tend to bounce back quickly after hard times |
| BRS2 (R) | I have a hard time making it through stressful events |
| BRS3 | It does not take me long to recover from a stressful event |
| BRS4 (R) | It is hard for me to snap back when something bad happens |
| BRS5 | I usually come through difficult times with little trouble |
| BRS6 (R) | I tend to take a long time to get over set-backs in my life |
Source: Smith et al. (2008). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Brief Resilience Scale (BRS).
(R): reverse-coded item; recode before analysis. Brief Resilience Scale (BRS): 1–5 scale: new score = 1 + 5 − score = 6 − score.
Tips
- Reverse BRS2, BRS4, and BRS6 as 6 minus the score before computing Cronbach's alpha; forgetting this makes alpha abnormally low or negative.
- Keep the alternating order of positive and negative items as in the original.
- Do not fold optimism, social support, or self-efficacy into the BRS; measure them with separate scales (for example GSE, MSPSS).
- This scale is not a diagnostic tool. Topics asking about mental health should follow your university's research ethics rules (with a participant consent form) and list a psychological support contact at the end of the questionnaire.
Once you have a scale, put the concept in the research model drawer to state your hypotheses, work out the minimum sample size, and after data collection check reliability with the Cronbach's alpha calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How is the BRS scored?
Reverse the 3 negative items, then take the mean of the 6 items, giving a score from 1 to 5; a higher score means better resilience.
How does the BRS differ from resilience scales such as CD-RISC?
The BRS directly measures whether a person recovers, while many other scales measure the resources that help people stay resilient. Choose according to the concept definition in your chapter 2.
Do I need permission to use the BRS?
No. According to the PhenX Toolkit (NIH), the BRS protocol is freely available; when using it, cite Smith et al. (2008).