The WONE Index as a Multidimensional Assessment of Stress Resilience: A Development and Validation Study

Stress resilience is a dynamic process shaped by the interaction between demands and adaptive resources. Existing measures assess stress and resilience as separate constructs, limiting their use in digital health and workplace interventions. An integrated measure capturing both domains is needed.

We developed and validated the WONE Index, a multidimensional stress resilience tool designed to measure both current stress load and adaptive resources among full-time working adults.

We developed the 32-item WONE Index through literature review, expert consultation, and iterative refinement to assess stress load and resilience resources across behavioral, cognitive, and social domains. Phase 1 (N=1005; United States- or United Kingdom-based full-time employees) evaluated the initial item pool using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to establish the preliminary factor structure and assess reliability and validity. Phase 2 (N=306; United States-based adults) expanded underperforming domains, refined items, and tested incremental validity, test-retest reliability, and measurement invariance. Data were collected online through CloudResearch (Connect) and Prolific (Prolific Academic Ltd) using secure survey platforms.

Phase 1 supported a 2-domain structure: a Stress Load factor (Work Stress, Personal Stress, and Burnout) and a Resilience Resources factor (Emotion Regulation and Coping, Social Connectedness, and Sleep). Model fit indices were excellent (comparative fit index, CFI=0.95; Tucker-Lewis index, TLI=0.94; and root mean square error of approximation, RMSEA=0.05). Phase 2 replicated and extended this structure, expanding Resilience Resources into 7 domains (adding Purpose and Prosociality, Physical Activity, Dietary Intake, and Perseverative Thinking). Confirmatory factor analyses supported a 2-domain structure, comprising a higher-order Stress Load factor with 3 subdomains (Work Stress, Personal Stress, and Burnout) and a higher-order Resilience Resources factor with 7 subdomains (Emotion Regulation and Coping, Social Connectedness, Purpose and Prosociality, Sleep, Physical Activity, Dietary Intake, and Perseverative Thinking). The Stress Load model demonstrated excellent fit (χ²33=64.18; P=.01; CFI=0.99; TLI=0.98; RMSEA=0.06; and standardized root mean square residual=0.05), and the Resilience Resources model also fit well (χ²443=745.20, P<.001; CFI=0.94; TLI=0.94; RMSEA=0.05; and standardized root mean square residual=0.06). All subscales showed strong internal consistency (composite reliability: mean 0.84, SD 0.10; range 0.74-0.93) and excellent test-retest reliability over 3 weeks (intraclass correlation coefficients 0.77-0.90, 95% CI 0.87-0.93). The index showed strong convergent validity (r=0.73 with Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and r=-0.66 with Perceived Stress Scale-4) and explained additional variance beyond established measures in predicting depression, anxiety, and well-being (ΔR²=0.07-0.11; P<.001).

The WONE Index provides a psychometrically robust tool for assessing stress resilience capacity in working adults. Its integrated structure captures dynamic relationships between stress exposure and resilience resources, thereby supporting personalized intervention delivery in digital health platforms and organizational well-being programs.