Evaluation of a measure of learned resourcefulness for elders

Learned resourcefulness is important in promoting independence and healthy, productive lifestyles among older adults, and therefore it is essential to have a measure of learned resourcefulness that is reliable and valid for this population. However, for elders published psychometric tests of Roseblaum's Self-Control Schedule (SCS), which is the measure of learned resourcefulness, are limited to internal consistency estimates. This study examined the ease of administration and psychometric properties of the SCS in three samples of healthy elders (age 65+). The findings yield promising evidence that the instrument is fairly easy for elders to understand when administered during face-to-face interviews. Evidence of reliability and validity is considerable, and the SCS shows acceptable internal consistency and construct validity. These findings support the potential usefulness of the measure of learned resourcefulness for adults.