Evaluating the Brief Resilience Scale in 21 Countries: Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance Across Sex, Age, and Countries

The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) is widely used for assessing resilience. However, evaluations of the BRS's measurement invariance across different countries are scarce. This study examines the psychometric properties of the BRS across 21 countries, using a sample of 10,259 participants from the COVIDiSTRESS II Global Survey dataset. It investigates the reliability, factor structure, criterion validity, and measurement invariance across age, sex, and countries. The results indicate that the BRS has high reliability, and the two-factor structure is the most widely applicable optimal structure. Full measurement invariance across sex was achieved, while partial measurement invariance across age was established. With respect to geographical heterogeneities, the Central American subgroup achieved full measurement invariance while partial measurement invariance was observed in the South American subgroup. Regarding cultural differences, partial measurement invariance was obtained in the Latin American subgroup. However, the full country group and the other country subgroups did not achieve measurement invariance. The significant correlations between the BRS and factors like stressors, perceived stress, loneliness, social support, and emotion regulation support its criterion validity. These findings suggest that the BRS is a valuable psychometric tool for resilience research. However, caution is needed when applying it across different age groups and countries.