Development and validation of the Italian version of the 15-item Dispositional Resilience Scale

Studies have shown that psychological hardiness is an important stress resilience resource for individuals. The 15-item Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS-15) is a short, reliable and valid self-report instrument to measure hardiness that is not available in Italian. The present study was undertaken to create an Italian version of the DRS-15, and evaluate its psychometric properties and validity in the Italian context. An Italian version was produced using multiple independent bilingual translators. This version was administered to a non-clinical sample of adults (N=150), along with measures of psychological well-being (PWB-18) and health. A sub-sample (N=66) completed the DRS-15 again one month later. Results showed good reliability in terms of internal consistency and test-retest stability. With regard to the subscales, stability was high for all three subscales, whereas two subscales (Commitment and Control) showed marginal internal consistency. DRS-15 total and subscale scores showed a theoretically meaningful pattern of correlations with PWB-18 subscales, supporting the validity of the Italian DRS. Also, multiple regression analysis revealed a correlation between DRS-15 scores and self-rated general health, even after controlling for age and sex. The new Italian DRS-15 provides a valid, reliable and easy to use tool for assessing stress resilience in clinical and research settings.