Distinct resilience phenotypes in depression and anxiety: Validation and network analysis of the Chinese Mount Sinai Resilience Scale

BACKGROUND: Resilience is increasingly conceptualized as a dynamic process rather than a static trait. The Mount Sinai Resilience Scale (MSRS) captures this process by assessing the frequency and subjective efficacy of malleable resources employed to manage stress. This study aimed to validate the Chinese MSRS (C-MSRS) and investigate the psychometric and network features of resilience in healthy and clinical populations. METHODS: The MSRS was translated and administered to 600 healthy adults and 95 patients. We utilized Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses, reliability and validity assessments, network analysis, and quadrant analysis to evaluate the psychometric properties and characterize clinical resilience profiles. RESULTS: The C-MSRS demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties, yielding a 21-item, five-factor model. Network analysis identified the "Meaning and Purpose" dimension (specifically hope and growth mindset) as the central hub, functioning as a "motivational engine" that integrates other resilience resources. Clinical profiling revealed distinct phenotypes: depression was characterized by global deficits consistent with amotivation and helplessness (low frequency/low efficacy), whereas anxiety patients exhibited preserved motivational drive in social connections. Furthermore, "Meaning and Purpose" emerged as a core transdiagnostic factor negatively correlated with symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: The C-MSRS is a robust, process-oriented instrument for the Chinese context. Our findings highlight resilience as an active, cognition-motivated process organized around hope and growth mindset. By capturing distinct resilience deficits in depression versus anxiety, the C-MSRS offers a precise tool for dissecting resilience mechanisms and guiding targeted interventions.