Evaluation of Psychometric Properties of Hardiness Scales: A Systematic Review

Background

Hardiness is one of the personality traits that can help individuals in stressful situations. Since human beings are constantly under stressful situations and the stresses inflicted on people in each situation are different, various scales have been developed for assessing this feature among different people in different situations. Hence, it becomes necessary for researchers and health workers to assess this concept with valid and reliable scales. This systematic review aims to rigorously assess the methodological quality and psychometric properties of hardiness scales.

Method

In the first step, the databases including Scopus, PubMed, Web of science, and Persian databases were searched using suitable keywords without limitation time. We select eligible suitable studies after screening titles and abstracts. The quality of studies was evaluated using the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist and the Terwee quality criteria.

Result

Of the 747 articles identified, 33 articles were entered in this study. Based on the COSMIN checklist, the most reported properties were as following structural validity (84%), hypothesis testing (56%), content validity (42%), and internal consistency (39%). Furthermore, 12 studies reported cross-cultural validity, three studies criterion validity, and one study reported measurement error.

Conclusion

The "family caregivers' hardiness scale," "Japanese Athletic Hardiness Scale," "Occupational Hardiness Questionnaire," and "Children's Hardiness Scale" are the best tools for assessing hardiness in family caregivers, athletes, employees, and children respectively. In addition, the "Dispositional Resilience Scale" (DRS-15) and The Personal Views Survey (PVS III-R) are the most frequently used scales with suitable features for measuring hardiness in the general population.

Sense of Coherence and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: The Role of Physical and Neurological Disability

Multiple sclerosis is a progressive demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that can lead to permanent disability and significantly impact the quality of life. The present study explores the relationship between neurological disability and disease symptoms, quality of life, and the level of sense of coherence, which is an important resource for coping with the disease. EDSS, GNDS, SOC-29, and MSIS-29 were used in the presented study. The study group consisted of 137 people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The study showed the correlation between most of the analyzed variables. Mood disability and fatigue were significant predictors of the sense of coherence and explained 34% of its variance. Physical disability and fatigue served as significant predictors of the physical aspect of quality of life, explaining 49% of its variance. Fatigue and sense of coherence were significant predictors of the psychological aspect of quality of life, explaining 47% of the variance. In studies on a group of people with multiple sclerosis, it is worth considering, in addition to the level of disability, also invisible symptoms, such as fatigue or mood disability, which are important for the quality of life and the level of resources. As this study suggests, a sense of coherence is a resource essential for the quality of life of people with disabilities.

Fear of COVID-19 and Life Satisfaction: The Role of the Health-Related Hardiness and Sense of Coherence

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is contributing to increased fear and anxiety throughout society, which may affect life satisfaction. Health-related hardiness and sense of coherence (SOC) are personal resources that help people adapt to difficult circumstances. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between fear of COVID-19, SOC, health-related hardiness, and life satisfaction. Methods: A total of 907 Polish people (522 women and 385 men) participated in this study. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FOC-6), the Health-Related Hardiness Scale, the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were used. Results: Correlation showed that fear of COVID-19 was negatively related to health-related hardiness, SOC, and life satisfaction. Health-related hardiness and SOC were positively related to life satisfaction. Both SOC and hardiness were mediators between fear of COVID-19 and life satisfaction during the current pandemic. Conclusion: SOC and health-related hardiness are personal resources that are important for dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to our study, SOC and hardiness can mediate between fear of COVID-19 and life satisfaction. Presented cross-sectional results have to be verified in future longitudinal studies in order to strengthen the conclusions presented in this manuscript. This study verified the role of only two personal resources, so more research is needed on the role of other personal resources during COVID-19 pandemic.

Selected psychometric aspects of the Polish version of the Liverpool Self-efficacy Scale

Background

Self-efficacy expresses the individual’s belief in their ability to take up and continue actions in order to achieve a particular result and cope with various life events. For people with multiple sclerosis (MS), self-efficacy is an im-portant resource because it affects how they adapt to the disease, and influences their motivation, health-related behavior and physical activity. It also has a great impact on their quality of life. Because of the lack of tools for meas-uring self-efficacy in Polish patients with multiple sclerosis, the goal of the current study was to develop a Polish language version of the Liverpool Self-efficacy Scale (LSES) and assess its validity and reliability.

Participants and procedure

A total of 175 people diagnosed with MS took part in the study. A Polish version of the LSES, the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SOC-29), the Resiliency Assessment Scale (SPP-25), the Health-Related Hardiness Scale (HRHS), the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS) and the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale were applied.

Results

Confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis using α and ω coefficients, and two measures of validity (content and criterion validity) were used in order to validate psychometric properties of the Polish version of the LSES. Our analyses confirmed a good fit of the one-factor and two-factor models.

Conclusions

The results indicate that the Polish version of the LSES is a useful and valuable tool for assessing levels of self-efficacy in Polish patients with multiple sclerosis. The scale can be used for both clinical and research purposes.