Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-32)

The Effects of Social Determinants and Resilience on the Mental Health of Chilean Adolescents

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of social determinants (i.e., gender, educational vulnerability, and socioeconomic status) and resilience on the mental health of Chilean adolescents in pre-, during, and post-COVID-19 pandemic contexts. The study included a group of 684 students, ranging in age from 12 to 18 years, who were attending educational institutions in the city of Arica. The Child and Adolescent Assessment System (SENA) was used to measure mental health problems, the Brief Resilience Scale for Children and Youth (CYRM-12) was used to measure resilience, and the Vulnerability Index of Educational Institutions was used to measure educational vulnerability. The results suggest increases in depressive, anxious, and social anxiety symptomatologies over time (wave by year, 2018, 2020, and 2021). In addition, multiple linear regression models showed predictive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, gender, vulnerability index, socioeconomic status, and resilient behaviors on mental health problems. The worsening of mental health indicators over time requires the greater coordination and integration of mental health experts in the most vulnerable educational centers.

Fostering Resilience in Adolescents at Risk: Study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial within the resilience school-based intervention

Introduction

Resilience is considered of high relevance when developing interventions to cope with stressful situations. Schools are one of the key settings to promote resilience among adolescents. The purpose of this cluster randomized controlled trial is to assess the effectiveness of an intervention in adolescents at risk, aged 12-to-15 years old, to increase resilience and emotional regulation strategies.

Methods

The recruitment period started in January 2022. Schools will be randomly allocated to control and intervention groups by an external researcher using computer-generated random numbers. The minimum sample size was estimated to be 70 participants per group. Primary health care nurses will carry out the intervention during the school period (January to June 2022). Students will follow a specific training consisting of six 55-min sessions, for 6 weeks. Each session will consist of 5 min of mindfulness, followed by 45 min of the corresponding activity: introducing resilience, self-esteem, emotional regulation strategies, social skills, problem-solving, community resources, social and peer support, and 5 min to explain the activity to do at home. Data will be collected at baseline, 6 weeks, and 24 weeks after the intervention. The child youth resilience measure-32 (CYRM-32) scale will be used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. This study received a grant in June 2021.

Discussion

The intervention is intended to improve mental health through resilience. Different factors related to resilience will be promoted, such as self-esteem, emotional regulation, social and communication skills, problem-solving and peer support, among others. As it has been designed as a cluster-randomized school-based intervention, we will directly ameliorate the participation and engagement of the target population. With the present intervention, we expect to improve coping skills in adolescents by enhancing resilience capacities.

Development and Validation of the Adolescent and Children in Risk of Abuse and Maltreatment Protective Factors Scale (ACRAM-PFS)

Background

Child maltreatment is a significant global problem concerning over 25% of children around the world. Traditionally, the assessment of children's welfare was characterized by the creation of instruments and models from the deficit-based theoretical framework.

Purpose

This study aims to develop an instrument to measure protective factors (the Adolescent and Children Risk of Abuse and Maltreatment Protective Factors Scale, ACRAM-PFS) and gather evidence on its psychometric properties. ACRAM-PFS is an 18-items scale for the assessment of protective factors of child maltreatment developed from the socioecological framework.

Method

Structural validity, reliability and convergent-related validity were studied for this measure in a sample of 616 children and adolescents, with age ranging from 0 to 18 years old (M = 12.14; SD = 5.22). Cases were informed by 286 child welfare workers. The sample was split in two subsamples, one to perform an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and the second to perform a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).

Results

The CFA corroborate the three-factor structure that includes the children and adolescents' resources, the family/caregiver's resources and the community resources (χ2 = 278.005, df = 132, p < .001, CFI = 0.955, SRMR = .084, RMSEA = .061, [90% CI: .051-.071]). Results of convergent-related validity indicated significant correlation with CTQ-SF and protective factors dimension of C-CAPS.

Discussion

The results support that ACRAM-PFS is a rigorous measure for assessing protective factors for child maltreatment. The scale can serve as a key tool for designing strengths-based intervention strategies tailored to the actual needs of children and adolescents. The present study provides the implications for the development of protective factor scales in the field of child welfare.

Psychometric Properties of Scales Measuring Resilience in U.S. Latinx Populations: A Systematic Review

Objectives

Instruments used to measure resilience have typically been developed in European or Anglosphere countries and emphasize personal factors of resilience. In addition to being a quickly growing ethnic minority group in the United States, Latinx individuals face unique stressors and protective factors that may contribute to resilience. This review sought to determine the extent to which instruments measuring resilience have been validated in U.S. Latinx populations and what domains of resilience those scales capture.

Methods

A systematic literature review was conducted using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards and included studies describing psychometric properties of resilience scales for Latinx individuals living in the United States. Articles were assessed for quality of psychometric validation; scales used in the final studies were assessed for representation of domains of the social ecological resilience model.

Results

Nine studies were included in the final review examining eight separate resilience measures. The populations of these studies were heterogeneous geographically and demographically; more than half the studies only included Latinx populations as a subgroup. The breadth and quality of psychometric validation were variable across studies. The domains represented by the scales in the review most heavily assessed individual domains of resilience.

Conclusion

The literature to date on psychometric validation of resilience measures in Latinx populations in the United States is limited and does not robustly capture aspects of resilience that may be particularly meaningful for Latinx populations, such as community or cultural factors. Instruments that are developed with and for Latinx populations are necessary to better understand and measure resilience in this population.

Adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the functional assessment of chronic illness therapy spiritual well-being scale among Chinese childhood cancer patients in China

Background

Spiritual well-being is a strength for childhood cancer patients to cope with cancer. The availability of a valid and reliable instrument for assessing spiritual well-being is crucial. This study translated and adapted the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Spiritual Well-being scale (FACIT-Sp) for Chinese childhood cancer patients and examined the psychometric properties and factor structure in this population.

Methods

This was a methodological study. The FACIT-Sp was translated into Chinese. Adaptation was based on our qualitative study. For psychometric evaluation, a convenience sample of 412 were recruited based on the suggested sample size for the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Childhood cancer patients were included if they aged 8-17 years, with parental consent to participate, able to communicate that they were being treated for cancer, and able to communicate and read Chinese. Participants answered the Chinese version of the adapted FACIT-Sp, the Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC), and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 3.0 Cancer Module (PedsQL). Content validity, convergent validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability were examined. Both EFA and CFA assessed the structural validity of the adapted FACIT-Sp.

Results

The content validity index values for items ranged 0.8-1.0 and that for the scale was 0.84, indicating appropriate content validity. The scale had good internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.815. The FACIT-Sp scores positively correlated with the CES-DC scores, and negatively correlated with PedsQL scores, suggesting that the Chinese version of the adapted FACIT-Sp had reasonable convergent validity. EFA yielded a four-factor (meaning, peace, faith, and connection with others) model. The CFA results revealed that the four-factor model achieved a better fit than the original three-factor model (Chi-Square Mean/Degree of Freedom = 2.240 vs. 3.557, Comparative Fit Index = 0.953 vs. 0.916, Goodness of Fit Index = 0.909 vs. 0.884, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.078 vs. 0.112).

Conclusion

The Chinese version of the adapted FACIT-Sp is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing spiritual well-being among Chinese childhood cancer patients. This instrument can be applied in clinical settings for routine assessment.

Validation of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure-28 (CYRM-28) in India

Background:

The Child and Youth Resilience Measure-28 (CYRM-28) is one of the few measures based on a contextually and culturally embedded understanding of resilience. However, its psychometric properties have not been examined in India which is home to the largest proportion of adolescents worldwide. The present study was conducted to address this gap.

Aims:

This study examined the psychometric properties and factor structure of the English and Hindi translated version of the CYRM-28 in the Indian context. Additionally, it investigated the role of select sociodemographic factors on the resilience levels of Indian school-going adolescents.

Method:

Using convenience sampling, data were collected from 1281 adolescents (mean = 15.28 years; SD = 1.08) enrolled in private and government schools in rural and urban parts of Northern India. Three measures were used in this study: CYRM-28, Warwick-Edinburg mental well-being scale (WEMWBS) and PERMA. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation, and multivariate analysis of variance were conducted to validate the scale and to study the effect of sociodemographic factors on resilience levels of India adolescents.

Results:

A 16-item (English and Hindi) version of the CYRM-28, with a three factor-structure was found to be the most adequate fit for the Indian context. It demonstrated good reliability and convergent validity with the WEMWBS and PERMA. Further, the multivariate results, albeit with a small effect size, showed a significant main effect for place of residence and age, with urban and older adolescents obtaining higher resilience scores than their rural and younger counterparts.

Conclusion:

The present research shows that a shorter 16-item version of the CYRM with a three-factor structure is a reliable and valid tool for use among Indian adolescents. The CYRM is a robust resilience measure being used across varied cultures—its validation in the Indian context widens the scope for resilience research in the Indian adolescent population.

Socio-ecological Resilience Relates to Lower Internalizing Symptoms among Adolescents during the Strictest Period of COVID-19 Lockdown in Perú

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched the lives of adolescents around the world. This short-term longitudinal, observational study followed 1,334 adolescents (11–17 yo) to investigate whether social-ecological resilience relates to intra- and inter-personal resources and/or the caregiver relationship relates to changes in internalizing symptoms during five stressful weeks of COVID-19 lockdown in Perú. In this work, we contextualize social-ecological resilience in relation to culturally-relevant personal and caregiver resources that youth can use to adapt to stressful situations. We found that adolescents who reported higher levels of personal, caregiver, and overall resilience had lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms at week six. We also find that personal, caregiver, and overall resilience moderated the change in anxiety symptoms from week 6 to week 11 of lockdown in 2020. Our findings underscore the importance of social-ecological resilience related to both intra/interpersonal resources and the caregiver relationship for minimizing the harmful impacts of COVID-19 on adolescent internalizing symptoms.

Effects of Resilience and Acculturation Stress on Integration and Social Competence of Migrant Children and Adolescents in Northern Chile

Migration in Chile has increased exponentially in recent years, with education being one of the main focuses of attention in this cultural transformation. Integration and social competence in the migrant population are determined by several factors. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential effects of resilience and acculturation stress on the levels of integration and social competence in migrant students in Northern Chile. In total, 292 school children of both genders aged 8 to 18, from the fourth grade to senior year of high school, participated in the investigation. A subscale of the Child and Adolescent Assessment System (Sistema de evaluación de niños y adolescentes SENA) was used to assess integration and social competence. Additionally, the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-12) and the Acculturation Stress Source Scale (FEAC) were used. The results show that integration and social competence have statistically significant and direct associations with resilience (p < 0.001) and indirect associations with acculturation stress (p = 0.009). Both constructs could be defined as protection and risk factors, respectively, and should be considered in educational contexts to favor adaptation in the integration of migrant children and adolescents.

Measuring resilience in children: a review of recent literature and recommendations for future research

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Understanding variability in developmental outcomes following exposure to early life adversity (ELA) has been an area of increasing interest in psychiatry, as resilient outcomes are just as prevalent as negative ones. However, resilient individuals are understudied in most cohorts and even when studied, resilience is typically defined as an absence of psychopathology. This review examines current approaches to resilience and proposes more comprehensive and objective ways of defining resilience.

RECENT FINDINGS

Of the 36 studies reviewed, the most commonly used measure was the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (n = 6), followed by the Child Behavior Checklist (n = 5), the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents (n = 5), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (n = 4), and the Child and Youth Resilience Scale (n = 3).

SUMMARY

This review reveals that studies tend to rely on self-report methods to capture resilience which poses some challenges. We propose a complementary measure of child resilience that relies on more proactive behavioral and observational indicators; some of our preliminary findings are presented. Additionally, concerns about the way ELA is characterized as well as the influence of genetics on resilient outcomes prompts further considerations about how to proceed with resiliency research.