The study aimed to develop and validate a short scale of family resilience for disaster scenarios. The Walsh Family Resilience Questionnaire (WFRQ-32) was adopted as the foundation for short version development.

The reliability and validity were evaluated using a sample of 1015 participants collected from a population-based cross-sectional study in Hong Kong. A confirmatory factor analysis was employed to scrutinize the factor structure of the short scale. Multivariate regression modeling was adopted to investigate the key determinants that enable families to overcome adversities and disasters.

The Walsh Family Resilience Questionnaire Short Version (WFRQ-9) with 9 items demonstrated satisfactory measurement properties, including good explanatory power, construct validity, and high internal reliability. The WFRQ-9 presented a robust factor structure, with a 2-layer 3-factor model yielding the best fit. Proactive disaster preparedness and emergency response behaviors, and ample living space increased WFRQ-9 score. Lower education level, residence in government-subsidized housing, and having disabled family members decreased WFRQ-9 score.

The validated WFRQ-9 can be used to measure family resilience in interventions aimed at improving disaster resilience. Moreover, it emphasizes the significance of fostering family resilience for improved adaptation in the face of escalating disaster risks to families and communities worldwide.