Development and initial validation of the brief trauma resiliency scale

Trauma is a widely experienced event across the nation and throughout the world. Worldwide statistics estimate 70% of adults experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime (Benjet et al., 2016). There are various therapeutic interventions available for trauma survivors but few measures that attempt to directly assess one’s resilience to traumatic experiences. This study aims to fulfill this need. A comprehensive review of research about resilience and trauma were examined to facilitate the development of instrument items. Further, well established resilience instruments and theoretical concepts were used in item creation. These resources were used to help establish content related to the trauma resiliency construct. Trauma resiliency is described as one’s ability to bounce back after traumatic experiences. In this quantitative study, four objectives facilitated the development and validation of the Brief Trauma Resiliency Scale (BTRS) including: (1) evaluating content-oriented evidence, (2) assessing the internal structure of the BTRS, (3) evaluating the relationships of the BTRS with related constructs, and (4) evaluating the internal consistency reliability of BTRS scores. A comprehensive explanation is provided about the study design and inherent limitations are acknowledged.