Development and evaluation of the psychometric properties of a short Chinese version of the reentry shock scale (RSS) among older adults

Abstract

In light of increased international cross-border mobility, especially among older adults, this study aimed to develop a psychometrically robust and culturally appropriate short-form Chinese version of the Reentry Shock Scale (RSS-7) for assessing Reverse Culture Shock (RCS) among returnees. A total of 210 older Hong Kong returnees (M = 82.2 years old, SD = 6.64) with prior cross-border living experiences were recruited. Using a combination of psychometric techniques, including Confirmatory Factor Analysis, the proposed RSS-7 demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, construct validity, and concurrent validity. Compared to the Chinese full version, the RSS-7 exhibited better psychometric properties while retaining measurement coverage across all conceptual dimensions. This shortened scale offers a reliable and efficient measurement tool for future research on RCS, particularly among aging populations.