Measurement properties of family resilience assessment questionnaires: a systematic review

There have been numerous measurement questionnaires to estimate the level of family resilience. However, we lack published evidence regarding the most appropriate family resilience questionnaire in different adversity domains.

This study critically assesses and contrasts the measurement properties of questionnaires measuring family resilience in two domains: health care domain and social domain.

Ten electronic databases were searched for studies concerning the establishment, adaptation or evaluation of the measurement properties of a family resilience assessment questionnaire. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. On the basis of methodological quality and scoring criteria for the quality of questionnaires, the overall evidence of each questionnaire was rated.

A total of 4084 initial studies were obtained, 23 of which met our inclusion criteria assessing 12 different questionnaires. The structural validity (23 studies) and internal consistency (22 studies) were the most frequently used measurement properties. Only two studies tested responsiveness, and the measurement error was not examined in any studies. The Family Resilience Assessment Scale (FRAS) and Italian version of the Walsh Family Resilience Questionnaire (Walsh-IT) showed positive evidence in health care domain. The FRAS performed well in social domain with specific adversity, and the Family Resilience Questionnaire (FRQ) received a good score in social domain without specific adversity.

For health care domain, we recommend the FRAS and Walsh-IT. For social domain with specific adversity, we recommend the FRAS questionnaire. For social domain without specific adversity, the FRQ is recommended.