Family Resilience Assessment Scale – FRAS
Measures family resilience constructs including communication, social resources, positive outlook, connectedness, spirituality, flexibility, and meaning-making.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Family Resilience Assessment Scale – FRAS was developed by Lane T. Sixbey (2005). It is designed to measure Family Resilience. The scale is intended for use with Families / Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 66 items organized into 7 factors/subscales: Family communication and problem-solving, Utilizing social and economic resources, Maintaining a positive outlook, Family connectedness, Family spirituality, Ability to make meaning of adversity, Flexibility.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Family communication and problem-solving | 11,15,22,23,24,25,28,31,33,35,36,38,44,48,52,58,60,64,65,66 | 20 |
| Utilizing social and economic resources | 4,5,14,18,20,27,37,40,41,45,49,50,53,55,61,62 | 16 |
| Maintaining a positive outlook | 21,29,30,34,43,47,63 | 7 |
| Family connectedness | 8,17,39,42,57,59 | 6 |
| Family spirituality | 19,46,54,56 | 4 |
| Ability to make meaning of adversity | 1,2,9,10,12,26,32,51 | 8 |
| Flexibility | 3,6,7,13,16 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 4 = Strongly Agree).
The scale includes 4 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 66 to 264. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Resilience: 66 – 131
- Moderate Resilience: 132 – 197
- High Resilience: 198 – 264
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Subscale alphas range from 0.70 to 0.96.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.