The research on resilience has been hampered from a lack of a specific definition that can operationalized for measurement. The High Capacity Model of Resilience and Well-Being (H-CAP21) is a new theoretical model that defines specific traits that create states of resilience and well-being for use as a screening tool in clinical and non-clinical settings. Norming was completed across two studies with a total population of 1442 participants comprised of a clinical population of inpatient psychiatric patients and a non-clinical population of adult mid-career graduate students.

A four-factor model represented by a 21-item scale was confirmed as a best fit. Individual subscales yielded alpha’s from .75-.92, convergent validity with the Resilience Scale and discriminatory validity with and Obsessive Passion subscale and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Criterion-related validity exhibited a positive directional relationship between the subscales with the criterion (cumulative GPA) and significant correlations with the overall scale score and commitment subscale. However, the remaining subscales did not reach a level of significance with the criterion. Further exploration of the H-CAP 21 will expand the type and setting of the populations the instrument is assessed with to include clinical populations, military applications, self-regulation, and motivation. The H-CAP 21 is believed to have clinical utility as a psychometrically sound screening tool.