The Development, Validity, and Reliability of a Brief Self-Report Measure of Family Resilience in Military Families

Objective: This study aimed to develop a brief and valid measure of family resilience for use in research with military families. Method: A population-based sample of military spouses (N = 16,379) completed assessments of family resilience and validation constructs. Participants were randomized into two subsamples. Subsample 1 was used in a factor analysis to reduce the number of items, whereas subsample 2 was used in a series of models to confirm the initial model and evaluate dimensionality, reliability, and validity. Results: Nine items were retained and demonstrated strong factor loadings (> 0.80) in the initial and confirmatory models. A bifactor model provided some evidence of multidimensionality, but not enough to dismiss the unidimensional construct. Brief measures of family resilience and its subconstructs demonstrated strong reliability and construct validity. Conclusions: The 9-item instrument is a reliable and valid tool that can be used to assess military family resilience in future research.