Factor structure of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale in South African adolescents

The aim of this investigation was to examine the factor structure of The Connor-Davidson Resilience scale (CD-RISC), an instrument designed to measure stress coping ability, in a sample of 701 South African adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis failed to verify the original five-factor structure reported by Connor & Davidson, and an exploratory factor analysis suggested either a possible three-factor or two-factor structure in the current sample. Individual factor analyses by ethnicity suggested that the factor structure may differ among the different ethnic sub-groups. The reliability coefficient for the CD-RISC was 0.93. Age and ethnicity were the only demographic factors significantly correlated with CD-RISC scores. Age showed a negative relation to CD-RISC scores, and adolescents of black ethnicity had significant lower scores than their white and mixed race (coloured) counterparts. The CD-RISC scale could be a useful measure of resilience among South Africans, but future validation in South African populations is still needed.