Initial development and validation of a disease-specific resilience measure for inflammatory bowel disease: the RISE-IBD instrument.

Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) have a substantial effect on the well-being and quality of life of patients. While resilience may help alleviate psychological and physical burdens in individuals with IBD, there is no disease-specific measure that currently exists to accurately quantify this construct in the context of IBD. This study aimed to psychometrically validate the new Resilience Scale for IBD (RISE-IBD).

Methods: A preliminary scale was developed including 17 items generated from a qualitative study that centered on patient focus group discussions, conversations with IBD healthcare providers, and evaluation of two validated resilience measures. In this cross-sectional study, the scale's reliability, validity, and consistency were assessed in a sample of 91 patients with IBD.

Results: The 17-item RISE-IBD was reduced to a 14-item measure. The revised RISE-IBD, comprising four resilience domains (Disease Acceptance, Self-Reliance, Flexibility, Persistence), demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.82) and excellent re-test reliability (r = 0.91). The scale exhibited significantly positive correlations with the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (r = 0.74) and Brief Resilience Scale (r = 0.59), as well as with a disease-specific quality of life scale, the IBD Questionnaire (τ = 0.33). It also showed significantly negative associations with psychological distress measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory (τ = -0.36) and IBD-related disability assessed by the IBD Disability Index (τ = -0.30).

Conclusions: The RISE-IBD demonstrates its strong potential as a psychometrically reliable tool for assessing resilience in patients with IBD. By evaluating resilience across multiple domains, healthcare providers can gain a thorough understanding of patients' coping mechanisms and tailor interventions accordingly. Future research should focus on further strengthening the scale's psychometric properties by validating its use across diverse gastrointestinal patient populations and exploring the relationship between resilience and key IBD outcomes.