Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ)

Citation: Hjemdal, O., Friborg, O., Stiles, T., Martinussen, M., & Rosenvinge, J. (2006). A New Scale for Adolescent Resilience: Grasping the Central Protective Resources Behind Healthy Development. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 39(2), 84-96.

PMID or DOI: doi: 10.1080/07481756.2006.11909791

Main positive psychological well-being construct measured: Resilience Factors

Sub-constructs measured: Personal competence, social competence, family cohesion, social resources, and structured style

Available subscales:  Personal competence, social competence, family cohesion, social resources, and structured style

Description: The Resilience Scale for Adolescents was designed to assess the protective resources of personal competence, social competence, structured style, family cohesion and social resources so as to understand stress adaptation. Resilience is defined as the protective factors, processes, and mechanisms contributing to good outcomes despite experiences of stressors that increase psychopathological risk. The scale covers factors that are known to contribute to resilience in adolescence from prior empirical work, including individual dispositional attitudes, family support and cohesion, and external support systems. The READ was developed from the 41 item Resilience Scale for Adults, Friborg 2003), adapted for adolescents’ relevance and comprehension.

Number of items: 39

Example statement/item: “I will reach my goal if I work hard” 

Response options: 5-point response scale, 1=totally disagree to 5=totally agree

Total score: Mean scores within each subscale and for the total scale are calculated, higher scores indicate higher levels of resiliency.

Examples of studies that link to health outcomes:

Moljord, I. E., Moksnes, U. K., Espnes, G. A., Hjemdal, O., & Eriksen, L. (2014). Physical activity, resilience, and depressive symptoms in adolescence. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 7(2), 79-85.