Psychometric Evaluation and Item Optimization of the Resilience Scale CD-RISC-10 with Chinese Airline Pilots

Brief resilience measures may facilitate group-level aviation research and training feedback, but evidence on the CD-RISC-10 and its shortening in airline pilots remains limited. We evaluated the scale and its shortening potential in a development sample of 192 Chinese male airline pilots; 106 had paired occupational burnout data. Classical test theory, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), generalizability theory, item response theory, and qualitative item-content review were integrated. The CD-RISC-10 showed high internal consistency (α = 0.895) and expected negative associations with occupational burnout. CFA and graded response model results were consistent with an approximate one-factor representation, despite global-fit uncertainty and localized model strain. This integrated process yielded a candidate six-item form, the CD-RISC-6. In the development sample, it reduced item count by 40%, retained 70.38% of the original test information, and showed high post-selection internal consistency (α = 0.866). In a separate, non-overlapping same-airline sample (N = 58), the fixed form showed high internal consistency (α = 0.891) and expected negative associations with occupational burnout. CFA results were also consistent with the prespecified one-factor structure. These findings provide preliminary within-context evidence for further evaluation of the CD-RISC-6 as a low-burden measure in comparable recurrent-training settings.