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Reliability and validity testing of the physical resilience measure
Barbara Resnick1, Elizabeth Galik, Susan Dorsey
1Adult and Organizational Health, University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. resnick@son.umaryland.edu
The Gerontologist
|March 16, 2011
Summary
The Physical Resilience Scale demonstrates good reliability and validity in older adults. Further refinement could enhance its ability to distinguish high levels of physical resilience.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychometrics
- Health Sciences
Background:
- Physical resilience is crucial for older adults' well-being and functional independence.
- Validated measurement tools are essential for assessing physical resilience in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Physical Resilience Scale (PRS).
Main Methods:
- A repeated measures design with 130 older adults across three housing sites.
- Participants completed the PRS alongside established resilience, depression, and physical activity measures.
- Data collected at baseline and a 2-week follow-up.
Main Results:
- Rasch analysis supported the validity of the PRS.
- Significant correlations were found between the PRS and general resilience measures.
- Reliability was confirmed with a high alpha coefficient (.89) and strong test-retest correlation (.73).
Conclusions:
- The PRS shows promising psychometric properties for assessing physical resilience in older adults.
- Consideration should be given to incorporating more challenging items to better differentiate individuals with very high physical resilience.
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