Development and Validation of the Resilience Scale for Kidney Transplantation (RS-KTPL)

Purpose: This study developed a resilience scale for kidney transplantation (RS-KTPL) and assessed its reliability and validity. Methods: During the tool development phase, the concept of resilience in 10 patients who had undergone a kidney transplant was analyzed by integrating results from the theoretical and field research stages. Initial tool items were then derived. These items underwent content validity verification, item review, and a preliminary survey. The validation phase involved two main surveys, conducted using the preliminary 59 items derived from the development phase for data gathering. The first survey had 266 participants, and the second had 205 participants. Using the collected data, the structural validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, criterion validity, and reliability of the tool items were verified, ultimately establishing the final items. Results: The RS-KTPL comprises six factors with 27 items confirmed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on a 4-point Likert scale: positive thought transition through recovery belief, supportive relationships with others, self-awareness of negative psychological reactions, physical health control, homeostasis control, and supportive relationships with medical staff. The cumulative explanation of the tool was 50.71%. The model fit of the RS-KTPL was represented as follows: GFI 0.88, CFI 0.93, TLI 0.91, RMSEA 0.04, and SRMRI 0.06. Convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity were also secured. The reliability of the tool, measured by Cronbach α was 0.87. Conclusions: The RS-KTPL can be used to identify the level of resilience in patients who have undergone a kidney transplant, enabling them to recognize their strengths and areas of improvement for enhanced resilience. This tool can be applied in clinical nursing practices to comprehensively assess the resilience of patients with a kidney transplant, providing direction for nursing intervention plans to enhance patient resilience.