Validation of the Brief Resilience Scale among Romanian healthcare workers

BACKGROUND: The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) is a frequently used instrument for assessing resilience. However, its psychometric properties have been less studied among employees who care for people with disabilities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study aims to examine the structural validity and measure gender invariance in a Romanian sample of healthcare workers from residence centers for people with disabilities (Mean age = 44.65). Structural validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and multi-group CFA was used to demonstrate gender invariance. Convergent validity was evaluated using the average variance extracted (AVE) and composite reliability (CR). Divergent validity was assessed by correlating BRS scores with measures of depression, anxiety, and stress-tension (DASS21-R). Reliability was calculated using McDonald’s ω and Cronbach’s α coefficients. RESULTS: The two-factor uncorrelated structure model of the BRS demonstrated the best-fit indices (χ²/df = 2.26; CFI = 0.97; RMSEA = 0.064; SRMR = 0.017) and the gender invariance (ΔCFI < 0.01). The model suggests that BRS has two distinct dimensions of resilience that do not interact directly. The internal consistency shows adequate levels (the values of α and ω are between 0.74 and 0.79). Both BRS factors correlate significantly negatively with the dimensions from DASS21-R. CONCLUSIONS: The psychometric properties of the BRS support its applicability for assessing resilience in Romanian healthcare workers.