Validation of the adapted response to stressful experiences scale

There is evidence to suggest that resilience may be a protective factor to moderate the experience of mental health symptoms among military personnel. The present study analyzed the validity and reliability of a full-scale and adapted measure of resilience from a sample of 470 U.S. military service Veterans receiving clinical services from a civilian nonprofit agency. Results of an exploratory factor analysis, a two-factor confirmatory factor analysis, and a single-factor confirmatory factor analysis indicated that while the Response to Stressful Experiences Scale (RSES) indicated a fair model fit for the sample, the brief measure of resilience (RSES-4) demonstrated a better factor structure (RMR = .017, GFI = .995, CFI = .994, TLI = .981, RMSEA = .057), criterion and concurrent validity, and acceptable internal consistency.