title: Psychometric properties of the resourcefulness scale among caregivers of persons with autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: Caregiving for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be very costly to caregivers' well-being. Resourcefulness interventions have shown increases in positive health outcomes. However, before delivering the intervention, there should be a reliable and a valid measure to test resourcefulness. The psychometric properties of the Resourcefulness Scale (RS) have not been examined among ASD caregivers. This study examined the psychometrics of the 28-item RS in a convenience sample of 204 ASD caregivers. A Cronbach's alpha of .91 showed the internal consistency of the RS. Construct validity was supported by the emergence of two dimensions of resourcefulness (personal and social) in a confirmatory factor analysis and by substantial intercorrelations between the two subscales (r = .48, p < .001). Findings suggested the reliability and validity of RS among ASD caregivers, which is a necessary step toward implementing resourcefulness interventions to help ASD caregivers to deal with their stress and improve their quality of life.
authors.affiliation: 1Marquette University College of Nursing, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Abir K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Bekhet
authors.forename: Jaclene A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Zauszniewski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics
keywords: caregivers; clinical focus; instrument development; mental health; population focus behavior/symptom focus