Interactive Interpreter

BRS: Brief Resilience Scale

The BRS (Brief Resilience Scale) is a 6-item self-report questionnaire that measures psychological resilience, the ability to bounce back from stress. The score is the mean of all items after reverse-scoring items 2, 4 and 6, ranging from 1 to 5.

For professional reference, research, and education only. Not for diagnosis or medical advice.

BRS Score Interpreter

  • Enter a total score to see its range.

  • 6 items, each rated 1–5 (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree); items 2, 4, and 6 are reverse-scored before averaging. Final score is the mean of all 6 items, ranging from 1.00 to 5.00. Higher scores indicate greater resilience.

    Mean scoreInterpretation
    4.31+High resilienceScores of 4.31–5.00 reflect strong ability to recover from stress and adversity. This range is consistent with what the BRS development literature describes as high resilience.
    3–4.3Normal resilienceScores of 3.00–4.30 reflect typical or moderate resilience. Most community samples fall within this range.
    1–2.99Low resilienceScores of 1.00–2.99 reflect limited ability to bounce back from stress. This range warrants clinical attention, particularly in combination with elevated depression or anxiety symptoms.

    Smith BW et al. 2008. Resilience bands per a commonly used clinical convention.

The BRS is a 6-item validated measure of psychological resilience, the ability to bounce back from stress and adversity. Scores 1–5 across three resilience levels. Check the copyright holder's terms before clinical or commercial use.

What does the BRS measure?

The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) was developed to assess resilience in its original sense: the ability to bounce back or recover from stress [1].

Earlier resilience measures, such as the CD-RISC, mostly assess resources that may promote resilience. The BRS asks about recovery itself [1].

How do you give the BRS?

The BRS is a self-report measure: respondents rate each item based on how they generally feel, so it can be completed independently in clinical, primary care, or research settings without a clinician interview.

The BRS has 6 items, each rated on a 5-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree):

  • Positively worded: items 1, 3 and 5.
  • Negatively worded: items 2, 4 and 6, reverse-scored before computing the mean.

The final score is the average of all 6 items and ranges from 1.00 to 5.00.

The BRS has been validated in clinical and community samples; check the copyright holder's terms before clinical or commercial use. It shows strong associations with stress, depression, anxiety, and physical health outcomes [1], making it a useful complement to depression and anxiety screening, such as the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, in mental health and primary care settings.

Rate each statement on how much you agree or disagree, based on how you generally feel.

For educational reference only. Does not constitute a clinical assessment.

How do you score and interpret the BRS?

Score is the mean of all 6 items (after reversing items 2, 4, 6), from 1.00 to 5.00; higher scores indicate greater resilience. The score interpreter above uses a commonly used clinical convention: 1.00–2.99 low resilience, 3.00–4.30 normal resilience, and 4.31–5.00 high resilience. These ranges are a practical reference, not diagnostic cutoffs.

Psychometric properties

The development study examined the BRS in four samples: two student samples and samples of adults with cardiac conditions and with chronic pain [1].

The BRS was reliable and measured a unitary construct. It was negatively related to anxiety, depression, negative affect and physical symptoms even when other resilience measures, optimism, social support and Type D personality were controlled.

Translations have replicated these findings. The Spanish version showed adequate reliability (α = .83; intraclass coefficient = .69) and a single-factor structure in 620 adults [2]. The Polish version showed good internal consistency (0.88) and lower scores in groups with higher stress levels [3].

Limitations

  • Not diagnostic. The BRS measures the ability to recover from stress; it does not diagnose any mental health condition and is best used alongside depression, anxiety, or trauma screeners.
  • Self-report. Scores reflect how respondents generally see themselves and can be affected by mood and response style.
  • Bands are a convention. The low, normal and high ranges are a commonly used convention rather than validated clinical cutoffs.
  • Brevity. With 6 items, the BRS captures one facet of resilience (bouncing back) and does not assess the resources that may promote resilience.

For individuals: This page is a clinical reference, not a diagnostic tool. If you have concerns about your own symptoms, bring this information to a qualified mental health professional.

Related

FAQ

  • How is the Brief Resilience Scale scored?

    Each of the 6 BRS items is rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). Items 2, 4, and 6 are negatively worded and must be reverse-scored (i.e., 1 becomes 5, 2 becomes 4, etc.) before calculating the mean. The final BRS score is the average of all 6 items and ranges from 1.00 to 5.00.

  • What is considered a high or low BRS score?

    By a commonly used clinical convention, scores of 1.00–2.99 indicate low resilience, 3.00–4.30 indicate normal or moderate resilience, and 4.31–5.00 indicate high resilience. These ranges are not diagnostic cutoffs but provide a practical reference for interpreting scores in clinical and research settings.

  • Is the BRS self-report or clinician-administered?

    The BRS is a self-report measure. Respondents rate each item based on how they generally feel, making it suitable for independent completion in clinical, primary care, or research settings. No clinician scoring or interview is required.

  • Can the BRS diagnose a mental health condition?

    No. The BRS measures psychological resilience — specifically the ability to bounce back from stress — and is not designed to diagnose any mental health condition. It is best used as a complement to standardized depression, anxiety, or trauma screeners to provide a fuller picture of a person's coping capacity.

References

    1. 1.Smith BW, Dalen J, Wiggins K, Tooley E, Christopher P, Bernard J. The brief resilience scale: assessing the ability to bounce back. Int J Behav Med. 2008;15(3):194-200.
    2. 2.Rodríguez-Rey R, Alonso-Tapia J, Hernansaiz-Garrido H. Reliability and validity of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) Spanish Version. Psychol Assess. 2016;28(5):e101-e110.
    3. 3.Konaszewski K, Niesiobędzka M, Surzykiewicz J. Validation of the Polish version of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). PLoS One. 2020;15(8):e0237038.

HiBoop does not offer this scale. This page is reference material.This library is an academic and clinical reference. A scale described here is not necessarily offered in HiBoop; each page says whether it is.

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