Trait-Level Resilience in Pet Dogs—Development of the Lincoln Canine Adaptability Resilience Scale (L-CARS)
The concept of psychological resilience is well-explored in the human literature and is often described as the ability to ‘bounce back’ following adversity. However, it remains a neglected research area in dogs despite observations that like humans, dogs vary in their ability to cope with stress. Th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/859 |
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| author | Eilidh L. M. Mackay Helen Zulch Daniel S. Mills |
| author_facet | Eilidh L. M. Mackay Helen Zulch Daniel S. Mills |
| author_sort | Eilidh L. M. Mackay |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The concept of psychological resilience is well-explored in the human literature and is often described as the ability to ‘bounce back’ following adversity. However, it remains a neglected research area in dogs despite observations that like humans, dogs vary in their ability to cope with stress. This study aimed to develop the first canine ‘resilience’ scale. An on-line survey was developed for owners. This covered demographics, medical/behavioural history of the dog, and 19 potential resilience items assessed using a 5-point Likert scale; 1084 complete responses were received during the survey period, with 329 respondents subsequently completing the questionnaire a second time, 6–8 weeks later. Intra-rater reliability was assessed, and only reliable items retained. A principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was then performed with components extracted on the basis of the inspection of scree plots and the Kaiser criterion. Items were retained if they loaded >0.4 onto one of the components but removed if they cross-loaded onto more than one component. This resulted in a 14-item, 2-component solution. One component appeared to describe “Adaptability/behavioural flexibility” and the other “Perseverance”, which are described in the human literature on resilience. Predictive validity was established for expected correlates, such as problem behaviour. The resulting instrument was called the Lincoln Canine Adaptability and Resilience Scale (L-CARS) and is the first to be developed for the assessment of resilience in dogs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:32:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6bfc978eb2e246c8b1999907806e9b8f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:32:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-6bfc978eb2e246c8b1999907806e9b8f2023-11-17T07:13:20ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-02-0113585910.3390/ani13050859Trait-Level Resilience in Pet Dogs—Development of the Lincoln Canine Adaptability Resilience Scale (L-CARS)Eilidh L. M. Mackay0Helen Zulch1Daniel S. Mills2Department of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincs LN6 7DL, UKDepartment of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincs LN6 7DL, UKDepartment of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincs LN6 7DL, UKThe concept of psychological resilience is well-explored in the human literature and is often described as the ability to ‘bounce back’ following adversity. However, it remains a neglected research area in dogs despite observations that like humans, dogs vary in their ability to cope with stress. This study aimed to develop the first canine ‘resilience’ scale. An on-line survey was developed for owners. This covered demographics, medical/behavioural history of the dog, and 19 potential resilience items assessed using a 5-point Likert scale; 1084 complete responses were received during the survey period, with 329 respondents subsequently completing the questionnaire a second time, 6–8 weeks later. Intra-rater reliability was assessed, and only reliable items retained. A principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was then performed with components extracted on the basis of the inspection of scree plots and the Kaiser criterion. Items were retained if they loaded >0.4 onto one of the components but removed if they cross-loaded onto more than one component. This resulted in a 14-item, 2-component solution. One component appeared to describe “Adaptability/behavioural flexibility” and the other “Perseverance”, which are described in the human literature on resilience. Predictive validity was established for expected correlates, such as problem behaviour. The resulting instrument was called the Lincoln Canine Adaptability and Resilience Scale (L-CARS) and is the first to be developed for the assessment of resilience in dogs.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/859behaviourLincoln canine adaptability and resilience scaleL-CARSdogpsychometric scaleresilience |
| spellingShingle | Eilidh L. M. Mackay Helen Zulch Daniel S. Mills Trait-Level Resilience in Pet Dogs—Development of the Lincoln Canine Adaptability Resilience Scale (L-CARS) Animals behaviour Lincoln canine adaptability and resilience scale L-CARS dog psychometric scale resilience |
| title | Trait-Level Resilience in Pet Dogs—Development of the Lincoln Canine Adaptability Resilience Scale (L-CARS) |
| title_full | Trait-Level Resilience in Pet Dogs—Development of the Lincoln Canine Adaptability Resilience Scale (L-CARS) |
| title_fullStr | Trait-Level Resilience in Pet Dogs—Development of the Lincoln Canine Adaptability Resilience Scale (L-CARS) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trait-Level Resilience in Pet Dogs—Development of the Lincoln Canine Adaptability Resilience Scale (L-CARS) |
| title_short | Trait-Level Resilience in Pet Dogs—Development of the Lincoln Canine Adaptability Resilience Scale (L-CARS) |
| title_sort | trait level resilience in pet dogs development of the lincoln canine adaptability resilience scale l cars |
| topic | behaviour Lincoln canine adaptability and resilience scale L-CARS dog psychometric scale resilience |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/859 |
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