Resilience to Misinformation on Social Media instrument

Purpose The primary purpose of this instrument is to assess individual resilience to health misinformation encountered on social media platforms. Specifically, it aims to evaluate how well individuals—particularly parents of school-age children—can critically appraise, emotionally regulate, and respond to potentially misleading or harmful health-related content. By identifying levels of resilience, the tool supports the development and evaluation of targeted public health interventions aimed at improving digital health literacy and preventing the spread of misinformation. Nature This is a self-report psychometric instrument grounded in behavioral science and public health theory. It comprises 14 items distributed across two theoretically informed dimensions: (1) Stress Resistance—the ability to tolerate and navigate misinformation without undue emotional or cognitive disruption; and (2) Self-Control about Misinformation—the capacity to act responsibly and reflectively when engaging with or sharing health content on social media. Items are presented in plain language and rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Scope The instrument is designed for use among adult populations, with particular applicability to parents or caregivers of school-age children—a group highly relevant in the context of family health communication. While initially validated in this population, its flexible structure allows for future adaptation and validation in other demographic groups. Its scope includes use in public health research, digital literacy initiatives, program evaluation, and health promotion campaigns focused on misinformation resilience within family and community contexts.