Brief Resilience Scale

What it measures

A brief measure of resilience specifically defined as the ability to recover from stress. Focuses on the recovery process rather than traits or resources. Three positively and three negatively worded items reduce acquiescence bias.

Response format

Likert (1–5, strongly disagree to strongly agree); mean score reported

Representative items

• I tend to bounce back quickly after hard times.
• I have a hard time making it through stressful events. (R)
• It does not take me long to recover from a stressful event.
• It is hard for me to snap back when something bad happens. (R)
• I usually come through difficult times with little trouble.

Usage notes & scoring

(R)=reverse-scored. Report mean score (range 1–5). Freely available from Bruce Smith. Correlated with but distinct from CD-RISC — BRS focuses on recovery process; CD-RISC captures broader coping resources.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Smith, B.W., Dalen, J., Wiggins, K., Tooley, E., Christopher, P., & Bernard, J. (2008). The brief resilience scale: Assessing the ability to bounce back. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15(3), 194–200.

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