Resiliency Scale for Children and Adolescents (RSCA)

Citation: Prince-Embury, S. (2008). The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents, Psychological Symptoms, and Clinical Status in Adolescents. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 23(1), 41-56.

PMID or DOI: doi: 10.1177/0829573508316592

Main positive psychological well-being construct measured: Resilience

Sub-constructs measured: Sense of mastery, sense of relatedness, and emotional reactivity

Available subscales: Sense of mastery, sense of relatedness, and emotional reactivity

Description: The Resiliency Scale for Children and Adolescents was developed to assess three aspects of personal resiliency from developmental theory: sense of mastery, sense of relatedness, and emotional reactivity. The first two factors are protective personal characteristics while the latter might put individuals at risk when confronted with adversity. The overall measure includes a sense of mastery scale (optimism about life and one’s competence, self-efficacy, and ability to learn from mistakes), sense of relatedness scale (comfort with others, trust in others, perceived access of support from others), and emotional reactivity scale (sensitivity for reaction and intensity of reaction, time needed to recover from emotional upset, impairment while upset). The standardized average of the sense of relatedness and mastery scales comprise the Resource Index, meant to capture personal strengths or resources, while the Vulnerability Index is the standardized difference between the standardized emotional reactivity score and the Resource Index.

Number of items: 64

Example statement/item: (proprietary) 

Response options: 5-point scale, 0=never, 1=rarely, 2=sometimes, 3=often, 4=almost always

Total score: Scores are summed within each subscale, standardized scores on sense of relatedness and mastery are summed [resource index], and the difference between standardized emotional reactivity and the resource index is calculated.

Additional versions:

Prince‐Embury, S., Saklofske, D. H., & Nordstokke, D. W. (2017). The Resiliency Scale for Young Adults. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 35, 276–290.