Maternal Resilience Scale (ERESMA)

Abstract

The Maternal Resilience Scale (ERESMA) is a specialized Psychological Scale designed to measure the capacity for adaptation and positive coping mechanisms, known as maternal resilience, exhibited by mothers caring for exceptional children or children with special needs. Developed through a validation study primarily involving Latino families, ERESMA consists of 45 items scored on a 5-point Likert scale. The instrument is multidimensional, assessing six distinct factors, including Self-determination, Spiritual Faith, and Limited Resources for Meeting Needs. The scale demonstrates strong internal consistency, making it a reliable tool for clinical evaluation and research in family psychometrics, particularly within contexts where caregivers face significant emotional and economic challenges.

Keywords

Maternal Resilience, ERESMA, Special Needs, Exceptional Children, Caregiver Burden, Psychological Scale, Self-determination, Spiritual Faith, Hopelessness, Family Support.

Authors

Roque, M. P., Acle, G., García, M., Roque, H. M. P.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Maternal Resilience Scale (ERESMA) is to quantitatively assess the level of resilience present in mothers who are navigating the unique and often demanding circumstances of raising a child with developmental difficulties or special needs. This assessment aims to identify specific strengths (such as self-efficacy and spiritual coping) and vulnerabilities (such as feelings of hopelessness or lack of support) within the maternal caregiving experience.

By providing a detailed profile across six factors, ERESMA serves as a diagnostic and evaluative tool. Clinicians and researchers can use the results to tailor interventions, promoting adaptive strategies and mitigating the negative impacts of chronic stress and caregiver burden. The scale’s design specifically acknowledges the importance of contextual factors, such as partner support and resource availability, in determining overall maternal functioning.

Construct

The ERESMA scale measures Maternal Resilience, which is defined here as the mother’s successful capacity to adapt positively in the face of significant adversity related to her child’s condition. The construct is not viewed as monolithic but is broken down into six measurable sub-factors identified through factor analysis, providing a nuanced understanding of resilience mechanisms.

These six dimensions cover both internal psychological strengths and external support systems, offering a comprehensive view of the determinants of maternal well-being. The factors measured are:

• Self-determination (Resilience): Reflects the mother’s belief in her ability to influence outcomes and proactively seek solutions for her child’s advancement.
• Hopelessness: Measures feelings of discouragement, pessimism about the future, and difficulty resolving problems related to the child.
• Spiritual Faith: Assesses the use of religious or spiritual beliefs as a source of strength, guidance, and interior peace during challenging times.
• Rejection of Personal Responsibility: Indicates the tendency to blame others for problems or to attribute outcomes primarily to external factors rather than personal effort.
• Lack of Support from the Partner: Measures perceived conflict, neglect, or discouragement received from the spouse or partner regarding the child’s care and education.
• Limited Resources for Meeting Needs: Captures the perceived difficulty in accessing necessary economic, medical, or social support for the child and the family.

Validity

The scale was developed and validated within a sample of mothers of exceptional children, suggesting strong content and construct validity for its intended population. While detailed structural equation modeling or criterion validity coefficients are not provided in the source summary, the clear factor structure resulting from the validation study (Roque et al., 2009) supports the scale’s ability to measure distinct aspects of maternal resilience and related stressors.

The structure, which separates positive factors (like Self-determination and Spiritual Faith) from negative factors (like Hopelessness and Rejection of Responsibility), confirms that the instrument effectively captures the multidimensional nature of resilience as experienced in high-stress caregiving roles.

Reliability

The ERESMA demonstrates high internal consistency, indicating strong reliability across its total score and most subscales, as measured by Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients.

The reliability statistics are as follows:

• Total Scale: 0.92
• Self-determination (Resilience): 0.84
• Hopelessness: 0.89
• Spiritual Faith: 0.78
• Rejection of Personal Responsibility: 0.71
• Lack of Support from the Partner: 0.84
• Limited Resources for Meeting Needs: 0.80

These values, particularly the total scale alpha of 0.92, confirm that the ERESMA is a psychometrically sound instrument for reliably measuring the construct of maternal resilience in this specific population.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis confirmed a robust six-factor structure underlying the 45 items of the scale. This structure allows for both a global resilience score and specific scores across the identified dimensions. The items are distributed among the factors as follows:

• Self-determination (9 items): Items 11, 24, 1, 44, 17, 30, 42, 33, 14.
• Hopelessness (13 items): Items 2, 8, 23, 12, 28, 20, 36, 43, 40, 45, 15, 32, 4.
• Spiritual Faith (5 items): Items 5, 22, 26, 35, 29.
• Rejection of Personal Responsibility (5 items): Items 3, 19, 27, 38, 9.
• Lack of Support from the Partner (7 items): Items 10, 21, 6, 39, 16, 34, 41.
• Limited Resources for Meeting Needs (6 items): Items 18, 25, 31, 7, 37, 13.

It is important to note that the scale includes 14 positive items and 31 negative items (marked with [R] in the item list), which must be recoded in inverse order prior to scoring. If the mother or caregiver does not have a partner, the scale can be calculated using 38 items by eliminating the entire factor related to “Lack of Support from the Partner.” Higher resulting scores indicate greater maternal resilience.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological Scale (Likert-type rating).

Format: Paper-and-pencil or digital self-administered questionnaire consisting of 45 items (or 38 items if the subject lacks a partner).

Language Available: Spanish (Original validation), English translation available in compendium.

Population Group: Mothers or primary female caregivers.

Age Group: Adult (Mothers/Caregivers).

Population Details: Specifically designed for mothers raising children with difficulties, special needs, or exceptionalities. The original validation sample focused on Latino families.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their agreement with each statement using a 5-point frequency scale:

1. Never
2. Almost never
3. Sometimes
4. Frequently
5. Always

Keywords

Psychometrics, Caregiving, Special Education, Latino Families, Factor Structure, Self-determination, Spiritual Coping, Cronbach’s Alpha, Stress Assessment.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Not provided in source material)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The primary validation study was published in 2009 (Roque, Acle, & García). Further elaboration was published in 2012 (Roque).

The instrument is publicly available in the document “Latino Families and Youth: A Compendium of Assessment Tools,” published by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The instrument can be found on pages 40-46 of this compendium.

The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=23171&Itemid

Reference’s

• Roque, M. P., Acle, G. y García, M. (2009). Escala de resiliencia materna: Un estudio de validación en una muestra de madres con niños especiales [Maternal resilience scale: A validation study in a sample of mothers with exceptional children]. Revista Iberoamericana de Diagnóstico y Evaluación Psicológica, 1 (27), 107–132. Article also published electronically: http://www.aidep.org/03_ridep/2_volumen27.html.
• Roque, H. M. P. (2012). Evaluación de las características de resiliencia materna y mediadores ante la excepcionalidad. En G. Acle (Coord.). Resiliencia en educación especial. Una experiencia en la escuela regular (pp. 105 -135). Barcelona, España: Gedisa. ISBN: 978-84-9784-706-3.

Items of the Maternal Resilience Scale (ERESMA)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I try to make sure that my child with problems is happy.

2. I lose faith when my child who has difficulties stops making progress in his/her learning. [R]

3. Whether I succeed in what I do is mainly up to others. [R]

4. I feel that I am failing in the task of educating my child with problems.[R]

5. God helps me so that my child who has problems gets the education he/she needs.

6. It annoys me that my partner avoids making decisions concerning my child. [R]

7. Lack of money limits the education that my child with problems receives. [R]

8. It distresses me to realize that each day it becomes more difficult to raise my child with problems. [R]

9. If I make a mistake‚ I look for someone to blame. [R]

10. My partner ignores me when I ask for help to understand what is happening with my child who has problems. [R]

11. What I do for my child with problems helps him/her advance.

12. It is difficult to achieve the goals set for my child who has problems. [R]

13. I feel discouraged because no one helps me care for my children when they are sick. [R]

14. I believe that my child with problems will be better off in the future.

15. In my family it is difficult for us to agree on what to do so that my child with problems. [R]

16. My partner gets annoyed with me for spending time on my child with problems. [R]

17. I give advice to my child with problems so that he/she becomes a respectful person.

18. When I need to take my children to the doctor‚ lack of money keeps me from doing so. [R]

19. I blame other people for the educational problems that my child has. [R]

20. I find it difficult to resolve situations that have to do with my child who is not doing well at school. [R]

21. I argue with my partner over what to do about the education of my child with problems. [R]

22. I get strength from God to continue raising my child with problems.

23. The most difficult situations I have faced are related to my child who has difficulties. [R]

24. I encourage my child with difficulties when he/she is discouraged at the effort it takes to do something.

25. I can’t count on support from anyone else when I am in trouble. [R]

26. I ask God to guide me on how to help my child with problems advance.

27. My health keeps me from taking care of my child. [R]

28. I lament the fact that I have a child with problems. [R]

29. having faith that my child will improve helps set my mind at rest.

30. I learn from the problems my child has.

31. It’s impossible to turn to my relatives for help when there are economic needs at home. [R]

32. It takes a lot of work to improve the behavior of my child with problems. [R]

33. In order to improve the health of my child with problems‚ I seek out information that helps me decide what to do.

34. It is difficult for me to feel accepted by my partner. [R]

35. Prayer gives me interior peace.

36. Health problems of my child who is not doing well in school make me feel tense.

37. When my child with problems needs care‚ it is hard for me to access medical.

38. When I have problems with my child‚ I need someone to help me stay in a good mood. [R]

39. My partner discourages me from continuing to care for my child with problems.

40. Feeling afraid keeps me from finding out how to help my child with problems. [R]

41. My life is filled with problems. [R]

42. In my family‚ all of us make an effort to improve the well-being of my child who has problems.

43. It is hard for me to be proud of my child. [R]

44. When I encounter difficulties in obtaining medical care for my child with problems‚ I keep trying until I get it. can advance. [R]

45. In order to take care of my child with problems‚ I neglect my other children. [R]