Psychometric Properties of the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents and Use for Youth With Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

This study examines psychometric properties of the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents (RSCA) in two clinical samples: one child sample ( n = 110) and one adolescent sample ( n = 178). The purpose of the study was to examine the distribution characteristics and internal consistency of RSCA scale, subscale, and index scores for youth who were diagnosed with various psychiatric disorders. This article expands on research reported in the RSCA technical manual, which examined small diagnostic groups by combining these groups when examination required larger samples. Findings suggest that the variability, apparent normal distribution, and good to excellent internal consistency of the RSCA global scale and index scores in these two clinical samples support their use to examine dimensions of normal development in clinical samples as well as in normative samples. Suggestions for future research are provided.