Appraisal of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-25 in Substance Use Disorder Research: Using the Psychometric...

Substance use disorder (SUD) research has shifted to focus on strength-based approaches and resilience. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-25 (CD-RISC-25) has been widely used to measure resilience in the general population, individuals with SUD, and individuals with mental health conditions. However, there is no globally accepted standard measure of resilience, and the lack of a consistent conceptual definition and limited psychometric information for instruments in SUD research publications contribute to methodological challenges.

The purpose of this study was to appraise the psychometric properties of the CD-RISC-25 and evaluate the scale's performance in SUD research using the Psychometric Reliability & Investigation of Research Instruments (PRIORI) rubric.

Cochrane Rapid Review criteria were used to synthesize and evaluate 48 published peer-reviewed articles that used the CD-RISC-25 to measure resilience in individuals with SUD. The PRIORI rubric was used to appraise the articles for the conceptual definition of resilience, reliability, validity, results related to resilience, and performance of the CD-RISC-25.

Cronbach's alpha for the CD-RISC-25 in populations with SUD provided support for use of the measure among different populations with SUD. Most authors reported face validity; however, sufficient data were available in most publications to also support criterion and construct validity. Appraisal scores for the CD-RISC-25 used in populations with SUD suggested the CD-RISC-25 scale was a good measure of resilience.

The PRIORI rubric allowed researchers to critically appraise the performance of the CD-RISC-25 in the reviewed SUD research articles. Findings suggest the CD-RISC-25 was valid and reliable when used to measure resilience in diverse populations with SUD. Adopting the CD-RISC-25 as the gold standard measure of resilience could help address the methodological challenges identified in SUD research.