Resilience in the General Population: Standardization of the Resilience Scale (RS-11)

BACKGROUND: The objectives of the study were to generate normative data for the RS-11 for different age groups for men and women and to further investigate the construct validity and factor structure in the general population. METHODS: Nationally representative face-to face household surveys were conducted in Germany in 2006 (n = 5,036). RESULTS: Normative data for the RS-11 were generated for men and women (53.7% female) and different age levels (mean age (SD) of 48.4 (18.0) years). Men had significantly higher mean scores compared with women (60.0 [SD = 10.2] vs. 59.3 [SD = 11.0]). Results of CFA supported a one-factor model of resilience. Self-esteem (standardized β = .50) and life satisfaction (standardized β =.20) were associated with resilience. CONCLUSIONS: The normative data provide a framework for the interpretation and comparisons of resilience with other populations. Results demonstrate a special importance of self-esteem in the understanding of resilience.