Development and Validation of a Brief Measure of Hardiness for the Korean Population

Background: This study developed and validated a brief tool to efficiently measure hardiness in the Korean population, considering that no such valid tool is available in Korean.Methods: Data for item analysis and exploratory factor analysis were obtained from 343 college students and data for internal consistency and confirmatory factor analyses were obtained from 570 college students. Test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and criterion-related validity were determined.Results: Excellent model fits were shown for the 12-item brief measure of hardiness (BMH) with the following three factors: commitment (e.g., “When I open my eyes in the morning, I look forward to the day.”), self-directedness (e.g., “My decisions shape my life.”), tenacity (e.g., “I believe that failure is the mother of success.”). Each subscale consists of four items, using a six-point Likert scale. Cronbach’s α for commitment, self-directedness, tenacity, and the total BMH were .91, .85, .89, and .88, respectively. The BMH test−retest coefficient was .77, suggesting reliabilty of this tool. Analyses of the criterion− related validity revealed that the the BMH score was reasonably correlated with the scores on some sub-scales of the Personality Assessment Inventory.Conclusions: Although other standardized scales may be required for diagnostic purposes, this study highlights the utility of the BMH as a brief and useful tool with relatively simple items to measure hardiness as a personality trait in the Korean population for research purposes.