A Conceptual Framework for Assessing Social Resilience Community Scale: Focus on Ageing Populations and Primary Health Care

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and validate the Social Resilience Scale, a tool designed to assess the ability of individuals particularly those with rheumatoid arthritis and hypertension to maintain social and emotional well-being in the face of chronic illness and adversity. Drawing on a comprehensive review of psychological and behavioral resilience literature, the scale was developed as a 25-item self-report instrument, rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with scores ranging from 30 to 180. The study sample comprised 400 participants (200 males, 200 females) aged 65 years and older from Gothenburg, Sweden. Participants were divided into four equal groups: individuals with hypertension, individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, individuals with both conditions, and a healthy control group. Also, demographic variables, including socio-economic status, gender, age, religion, education, and general health, were considered. Reliability analysis showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.87). Content validity was confirmed through expert review, and construct validity was established via principal component analysis, which revealed three distinct factors explaining 77.818% of the total variance. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure (0.794) and the determinant of the R-matrix (> 0.001) indicated sampling adequacy and the absence of multicollinearity. Inter-factorial correlations confirmed that the scale measures a unified construct of social resilience. Results demonstrated that while a high resilience score may indicate greater adaptive capacity, it should be interpreted alongside psychosocial variables such as social avoidance, emotional isolation, distress, and negative affectivity. Social resilience was found to play a crucial role in coping with chronic illness, influenced by factors such as social support, emotional regulation, positive beliefs, and problem-solving skills.