Factor structure and psychometric properties of the brief Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale for adults on the autism spectrum.
The 10-item CD-RISC is a valid, reliable way to measure resilience in autistic adults and links to their mental well-being.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Hwang et al. (2020) checked if the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale works for autistic adults. They gave the short survey to a group of adults on the spectrum. Then they ran stats to see if scores lined up with mental well-being.
What they found
The scale held together. Items hung tight, scores stayed steady, and higher resilience matched higher well-being. The brief tool is now valid for measuring trait resilience in autistic adults.
How this fits with other research
Lugo-Marín et al. (2019) did the same kind of job. They showed the Spanish Autism Quotient Short Form is solid for autistic adults. Both studies say short self-report tools can be trusted in this population.
Kovačič et al. (2020) also support adult self-report. They found autistic adults' own ratings on the Theory of Mind Inventory-2 line up with eye-tracking data. Together, these papers build a case: if you give clear instructions, autistic adults can give reliable answers about themselves.
Ge et al. (2024) move the idea to kids. They proved the Mandarin Stanford Social Dimensions Scale works for autistic children aged 5-11. The pattern is the same across ages and languages—brief scales can be valid once you test them right.
Why it matters
You now have a quick, free way to track resilience in adult clients. Add the 10-item CD-RISC to intake packets or progress reviews. A rising score can flag that coping skills are working, even before behavior changes show in session. Use it to guide goal setting and to show funders a number that moves.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Adults on the autism spectrum experience high rates of anxiety and depression, and may be particularly vulnerable to difficult and traumatic life experiences, which may contribute to the development and maintenance of these conditions. Resilience is an increasingly popular concept in research, which describes the ability to 'bounce back' following difficult emotional experiences, and the flexibility to adapt to stressful and demanding situations. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale has been used predominantly in studies involving non-autistic adults to measure resilience. While resilience is a potentially important concept for autistic adults, the suitability of the 10-item version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale for use with adults on the spectrum has not yet been studied. In this short report, we investigate whether the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10 is a valid measure to use with this population, and its relationship with other measures of mental well- or ill-being. Participants were 95 autistic adults with a mean age of 44 (63% female) who completed measures of resilience, autism symptoms, depression, anxiety and mental wellbeing. Overall, the findings indicate that the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10 may be reliably used with autistic adults to measure trait resilience, which is associated with positive wellbeing and may serve as a protective factor from negative mental wellbeing. Future studies may use the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10 to investigate resilience as a protective factor from negative mental health outcomes in response to traumatic and adverse emotional events for which autistic individuals may be particularly susceptible.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2020 · doi:10.1177/1362361320908095