Measuring resilience among homeless youth: psychometric assessment of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale in Ghana

Abstract

This study validated the psychometric structure of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC; Connor & Davidson, 2003) in a sample of 227 homeless youth in Ghana. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation was used to extract factor structures. About 62% of the total variance was accounted for by a three-factor structure: personal competence and tenacity, optimism and achievement motivation. Evidence of the external validity of scales was supported by the positive correlation between resilience and perceived social support scores. The CD-RISC appears to yield scores reliable for assessing resilience among homeless youth in a developing world context.