Psychometric properties of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA): a cross-cultural validation in a Chinese and a German-speaking Swiss sample

Resilience refers to the ability to adapt and recover from adversity, influenced by intrapersonal and social factors. Given the prevalence of mental health problems, understanding and accurately measuring resilience in diverse populations has become a pressing priority in health and clinical psychology. The Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) is widely used to assess protective factors. Although several cross-cultural studies have supported the RSA’s construct validity, evidence from Mainland China using confirmatory approaches and from the revised German version in Switzerland remains limited. This study therefore examined the RSA’s psychometric properties in these two culturally distinct samples/contexts (China and Switzerland) by focusing on factor structure and construct validity. An online survey collected data from 798 Chinese workers and 1,114 Swiss university students. The psychometric properties of the RSA were evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), measurement invariance testing, and validity analyses. Convergent and incremental validity were examined using correlations, regressions, and structural equation modeling (SEM). CFA supported a six-factor solution in both samples. Convergent validity was confirmed through significant correlations with self-esteem, self-efficacy, satisfaction with life, depressive symptoms, stress, and burnout. After controlling for life satisfaction, RSA scores predicted additional variance in depressive symptoms (21% in China, 4% in Switzerland). In the Swiss sample, social competence, family cohesion, and social resources did not significantly predict depressive symptoms. The RSA is a valuable measure of protective resilience factors. However, generalizability is limited due to sample differences, which should be considered when interpreting the findings.