Psychometric Properties of the Spinal Cord Injury-Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) Resilience Short Form in a Sample With Spinal Cord Injury

Objective: To explore the psychometric properties (eg, data distribution characteristics, convergent or discriminant validity, internal consistency reliability) of the Spinal Cord Injury-Quality of Life measurement system (SCI-QOL) Resilience 8-item short form (SF) in comparison to the criterion standard resilience measure, Connor Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in a sample of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Design: Descriptive statistics were calculated to examine variable data distribution characteristics. Correlation analyses were conducted for convergent and discriminant validity. Reliability statistics were calculated for resilience and other validity measures. Participants: Individuals with SCI (N=202; 51.5% male, 48% female). Main Outcome Measures: Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System measures (depression, anxiety, ability to participate in social roles and activities, pain intensity, fatigue, sleep disturbance), SCI-QOL short forms (SF) (resilience, positive affect and well-being, mobility), CD-RISC, National Institutes of Health Toolbox for Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function - perceived stress (NIH Toolboxperceived stress), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were administered. Results: The mean and SD for the SCI-QOL Resilience SF (mean=48.60; SD=8.20) approximated the normative mean (mean=50, SD=10). The SCI-QOL Resilience SF scores were essentially normally distributed though somewhat kurtotic, with skew=-0.17 and excess kurtosis=1.4; internal consistency reliability was good (Cronbach's alpha=0.89). Convergent validity was supported by significant moderate correlations in expected directions between the SCI-QOL Resilience SF and measures of CD-RISC resilience, depressive symptoms, anxiety, social participation, positive affect and well-being, stress, and satisfaction with life. Discriminant validity was supported by small non-significant correlations between the SCI-QOL Resilience SF and age, sex, injury level, time since injury, pain intensity, mobility, sleep disturbance, and fatigue. Conclusion: The SCI-QOL Resilience SF demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity. Our study showed that the SCI-QOL Resilience SF is a psychometrically valid tool that can reliably estimate levels of resilience in the SCI population. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2024;105:59-66 (c) 2023 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.