Helping Students Make Informed Choices About College
Category: Pathways to and Through Postsecondary
Instrument Overview
Expert Notes AvailableView expert commentary on strengths and cautions for this instrument
Strengths
Strong internal consistency and test–retest reliability; Sensitive to change over time (useful for tracking intervention effects); Applicable across settings (mental health, education, workforce, etc.)
Cautions
Not specific to education or academic contexts (needs interpretation for higher ed use); Scores can be influenced by current mood or temporary stress levels
The Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) is a survey that measures how well a person can cope with stress and recover from difficult situations. It treats resilience as something that can change over time, and that may improve with support or treatment, especially for conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
The main version has 25 questions rated on a 0–4 scale, with higher scores meaning greater resilience. There are also shorter versions with 10 and 2 questions for quicker use. All versions aim to capture how people handle stress and “bounce back” after challenges. The user guide also provides benchmark data so scores can be compared to the general population and specific subpopulations.
The CD-RISC is sometimes used to understand how students manage academic stress, persist through challenges, and stay enrolled and successful in college.
Organization
Collection Category(ies)
Content
Grades
Post secondary
Languages
English
Administration Information
Length
25 items
Access and Use
Developer
Kathryn M. Conner (Duke University Medical Center) and Jonathan R.T. Davidson (Duke University Psychiatry and Behavioral Science)
Open Access
No
Use in Research
Sood, A., Prasad, K., Schroeder, D., & Varkey, P. (2011). Stress management and resilience training among Department of Medicine faculty: a pilot randomized clinical trial. Journal of general internal medicine, 26(8), 858-861. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3138987/pdf/11606_2011_Article_1640.pdf'
Psychometrics (additional guidance)
Psychometric References
Velickovic, K., Hallberg, I. R., Axelsson, U., Borrebaeck, C. A. K., Rydén, L., & Johnsson, P. (2020). Psychometric properties of the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in a non-clinical population in Sweden. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 18, 132. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-020-01383-3
Gonzalez, S. P., Moore, E. W. G., Newton, M., & Galli, N. A. (2016). Validity and reliability of the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in competitive sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 23, 31–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2015.10.005
Campbell-Sills, L., & Stein, M. B. (2007). Psychometric analysis and refinement of the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC): Validation of a 10-item measure of resilience. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 20(6), 1019–1028. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20271
Connor, K. M., & Davidson, J. R. (2003). Development of a new resilience scale: The Connor‐Davidson resilience scale (CD‐RISC). Depression and Anxiety, 18(2), 76-82.
Populations of Validation
The CD-RISC has been widely validated across clinical, community, education, sport, and rehabilitation populations, consistently showing strong reliability and usefulness for measuring how people cope with stress and adapt to challenges.
