Validation of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure-28 (CYRM-28) in India

Abstract

Background: The Child and Youth Resilience Measure-28 (CYRM-28) is one of the few measures based on a contextually and culturally embedded understanding of resilience. However, its psychometric properties have not been examined in India which is home to the largest proportion of adolescents worldwide. The present study was conducted to address this gap. Aims: This study examined the psychometric properties and factor structure of the English and Hindi translated version of the CYRM-28 in the Indian context. Additionally, it investigated the role of select sociodemographic factors on the resilience levels of Indian school-going adolescents. Method: Using convenience sampling, data were collected from 1281 adolescents (mean = 15.28 years; SD = 1.08) enrolled in private and government schools in rural and urban parts of Northern India. Three measures were used in this study: CYRM-28, Warwick-Edinburg mental well-being scale (WEMWBS) and PERMA. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, correlation, and multivariate analysis of variance were conducted to validate the scale and to study the effect of sociodemographic factors on resilience levels of India adolescents. Results: A 16-item (English and Hindi) version of the CYRM-28, with a three factor-structure was found to be the most adequate fit for the Indian context. It demonstrated good reliability and convergent validity with the WEMWBS and PERMA. Further, the multivariate results, albeit with a small effect size, showed a significant main effect for place of residence and age, with urban and older adolescents obtaining higher resilience scores than their rural and younger counterparts. Conclusion: The present research shows that a shorter 16-item version of the CYRM with a three-factor structure is a reliable and valid tool for use among Indian adolescents. The CYRM is a robust resilience measure being used across varied cultures—its validation in the Indian context widens the scope for resilience research in the Indian adolescent population.