Adaptation and validation of the Resilience Scale on Sinhala speaking adolescents attending school in the Kandy District

Abstract

Adolescents are identified as those between the ages of 10 to 19 years (UNICEF, 2004). Adolescence is a developmentally stressful period leading to many being vulnerable to mental and physical problems, including psychopathology. Resilience, the antithesis of vulnerability, is the ability to bounce back; and resilient individuals are those who thrive despite adversity, and have positive mental health. Resilience is defined as “a personality characteristic that moderates the negative effects of stress and promotes adaptation” (Wagnild and Young, 1993). In Sri Lanka 18.9% of adolescents, 13 to 18 years experienced clinically significant behavioral and emotional difficulties out of which the effects on education (15.5%) and peer relationships (12.45%) were most severe (Perera, 2004). Another study identified that stress affected the academic performance of 15% of boys and 11.6% of girls (UNICEF, 2004). This study seeks to fill the void of a translated and validated psychometric instrument in Sinhala to measure resilience in 14 to 18 year old Sri Lankan adolescents. This age group is documented to be especially vulnerable due to facing the two all Island General Certificate Examinations within 2-3 years. The study also hopes to understand any culturally specific resilience factors. Results can be useful in delivering target-based intervention and implementing programs for vulnerable youth. The primary objective was to validate the Resilience Scale (RS) (Wagnild and Young, 1993) on the chosen sample by translating it, pre-testing it, and evaluating its reliability and validity.