Scorza Pamela, Duarte Cristiane S, Stevenson Anne, Mushashi Christine, Kanyanganzi Fredrick, Munyana Morris, Betancourt Theresa S
New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Dr., New York, NY, 10032, USA.
The Chester M. Pierce, MD Division of Global Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 5 Longfellow Place, Suite 215, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2017 Jul;52(7):867-875. doi: 10.1007/s00127-017-1364-2. Epub 2017 Mar 8.
Prevention of mental disorders worldwide requires a greater understanding of protective processes associated with lower levels of mental health problems in children who face pervasive life stressors. This study aimed to identify culturally appropriate indicators of individual-level protective factors in Rwandan adolescents where risk factors, namely poverty and a history of trauma, have dramatically shaped youth mental health.
The sample included 367 youth aged 10-17 in rural Rwanda. An earlier qualitative study of the same population identified the constructs "kwihangana" (patience/perseverance) and "kwigirira ikizere" (self-esteem) as capturing local perceptions of individual-level characteristics that helped reduce risks of mental health problems in youth. Nine items from the locally derived constructs were combined with 25 items from an existing scale that aligned well with local constructs-the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). We assessed the factor structure of the CD-RISC expanded scale using exploratory factor analysis and determined the correlation of the expanded CD-RISC with depression and functional impairment.
The CD-RISC expanded scale displayed high internal consistency (α = 0.93). Six factors emerged, which we labeled: perseverance, adaptability, strength/sociability, active engagement, self-assuredness, and sense of self-worth. Protective factor scale scores were significantly and inversely correlated with depression and functional impairment (r = -0.49 and r = - 0.38, respectively).
An adapted scale displayed solid psychometric properties for measuring protective factors in Rwandan youth. Identifying culturally appropriate protective factors is a key component of research associated with the prevention of mental health problems and critical to the development of cross-cultural strength-based interventions for children and families.
在全球范围内预防精神障碍，需要更深入地了解那些面临普遍生活压力源的儿童中，与较低心理健康问题水平相关的保护机制。本研究旨在确定卢旺达青少年个体层面保护因素的文化适宜指标，在该国，贫困和创伤史等风险因素对青少年心理健康产生了巨大影响。
样本包括卢旺达农村地区367名10 - 17岁的青少年。一项针对同一人群的早期定性研究确定了“kwihangana”（耐心/毅力）和“kwigirira ikizere”（自尊）这两个概念，它们体现了当地人对有助于降低青少年心理健康问题风险的个体层面特征的认知。从本地衍生概念中选取的9个项目与来自现有量表且与本地概念高度契合的25个项目——康纳 - 戴维森韧性量表（CD - RISC）相结合。我们使用探索性因素分析评估了CD - RISC扩展量表的因素结构，并确定了扩展后的CD - RISC与抑郁和功能损害之间的相关性。
CD - RISC扩展量表显示出较高的内部一致性（α = 0.93）。出现了六个因素，我们将其标记为：毅力、适应能力、力量/社交能力、积极参与、自信和自我价值感。保护因素量表得分与抑郁和功能损害显著负相关（分别为r = - 0.49和r = - 0.38）。
一个经过改编的量表在测量卢旺达青少年的保护因素方面显示出可靠的心理测量特性。识别文化适宜的保护因素是与预防心理健康问题相关研究的关键组成部分，对于为儿童和家庭开发基于跨文化优势的干预措施至关重要。
