inner Strength-Based Inventory (iSBI)       

  

download the iSBI here iSBI-5_1 Eng.pdf  (This version is for people of all religions, as well as those with no religion affiliation)

ดาวน์โหลดภาษาไทย ได้ที่นี่ iSBI-V Thai Version.pdf  (ฉบับภาษาไทย สำหรับชาวพุทธ)     SBI-V1 Thai .pdf (ฉบับภาษาไทย สำหรับทุกศาสนา รวมถึงบุคคลผู้ไม่มีศาสนา)

Chinese version  iSBI-V Chinese version.pdf

For permission to use it, please contact Prof. Dr. Nahathai Wongpakaran  nahathai.wongpakaran@cmu.ac.th  

หากประสงค์จะขออนุญาตในการนำไปใช้ โปรดติดต่อ  ศ.พญ. ณหทัย วงศ์ปการันย์ 

ที่ email   : nahathai.wongpakaran@cmu.ac.th 

 

Inner strength (พลังใจ)

Inner strength, rooted in the Ten Perfections (Pāramī), denotes enduring psychological qualities such as generosity, patience, determination, and equanimity that sustain balance, purpose, and ethical orientation in the face of challenges, and in association with resilience, it may be defined as the cultivated capacities that provide the foundation for adapting, recovering, and thriving through adversity.

Inner strength can be likened to the roots of a tree—deep, stable, and cultivated qualities such as patience, wisdom, loving-kindness, and determination that anchor and nourish growth. Resilience, in turn, is the fruit borne by the tree, the visible adaptive outcome of bouncing back and thriving after stress. Yet resilience is only one of the fruits that emerge from strong roots. Inner strength also gives rise to well-being, expressed as sustained happiness and life satisfaction grounded in equanimity and loving-kindness; meaning-making, reflected in the ability to find purpose in adversity through wisdom and truthfulness; prosocial behavior, fostered by generosity and compassion that strengthen social bonds; ethical integrity, sustained by morality and truthfulness that build trust and coherence of self; growth and transformation, enabled by perseverance and renunciation that support long-term personal development; and emotional regulation, cultivated through patience and equanimity that stabilize responses to stress and uncertainty. In this way, inner strength functions as the root system that nourishes not only resilience but a wide range of psychological and ethical outcomes, ensuring that coping and flourishing are grounded in enduring values and virtues.

 

Articles related to the inner strengths (iSBI)

The Relationship Between Feelings of Emptiness and Self-Harm Among Thai Patients Exhibiting Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms: The Mediating Role of the Inner Strengths.

Sripunya P, Wongpakaran T, Wongpakaran N.Medicina (Kaunas). 2024 Oct 30;60(11):1776. doi: 10.3390/medicina60111776.

Moderating role of observing the five precepts of Buddhism on neuroticism, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms.

Wongpakaran N, Pooriwarangkakul P, Suwannachot N, Mirnics Z, Kövi Z, Wongpakaran T.PLoS One. 2022 Nov 30;17(11):e0277351. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277351. eCollection 2022.

Relationship between Personality Traits and the Inner Strengths.

Kövi Z, Wongpakaran T, Wongpakaran N, Kuntawong P, Berghauer-Olasz E, Mirnics Z.Psychiatr Danub. 2021 Spring-Summer;33(Suppl 4):844-849.

The development and validation of a new resilience inventory based on inner strength.

Wongpakaran T, Yang T, Varnado P, Siriai Y, Mirnics Z, Kövi Z, Wongpakaran N.Sci Rep. 2023 Feb 13;13(1):2506. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-29848-7.

The Role of Equanimity in Predicting the Mental Well-Being of the Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities in Thailand.

Maung JJ, DeMaranville J, Wongpakaran T, Peisah C, Arunrasameesopa S, Wongpakaran N.

Death recollection moderates stress-influenced depression in Thai boarding school students.

DeMaranville J, Wongpakaran T, Wongpakaran N, Wedding D.BMC Psychol. 2025 Jul 29;13(1):846. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-03147-4.

A comparative study of the impact of meditation and Buddhist five precepts on stress and depression between older adults and younger adults.

Wongpakaran N, Klaychaiya S, Panuspanudechdamrong C, Techasomboon N, Chaipinchana P, DeMaranville J, Kövi Z, Wongpakaran T.Sci Rep. 2025 May 6;15(1):15739. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-99430-w.

The Mediating Role of Precepts and Meditation on Attachment and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents.

DeMaranville J, Wongpakaran T, Wongpakaran N, Wedding D.Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Jul 3;11(13):1923. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11131923.

Moderating role of observing the five precepts of Buddhism on neuroticism, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms.

Wongpakaran N, Pooriwarangkakul P, Suwannachot N, Mirnics Z, Kövi Z, Wongpakaran T.PLoS One. 2022 Nov 30;17(11):e0277351. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277351. eCollection 2022.

Positive death attitudes and psychological well-being: examining the influence of the four immeasurables.

Glushich A, Wongpakaran N, Wongpakaran T, DeMaranville J, Wedding D.Front Public Health. 2025 Jun 27;13:1622813. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1622813. eCollection 2025.

 

Death contemplation and mental well-being in elderly Thai Buddhist meditation practitioners | Narra J

 

 

Psychometric property of the iSBI

The iSBI shows the acceptable fit statistics with OUTFIT / INFIT ranges from .68 to 1.68. In PCA of residuals, the variance explained by the measurement dimension was 58.0%, and the first principal component of the residuals (first contrast) was 6.8%, while the eigen value was 1.62. No inter-item residual correlations were higher than .3. All items indicated unidimensionality and local independence.

No significant differential item functioning was found due to age and sex.

Person separation was 2.45 for iSBI, corresponding to good reliability coefficients of .86. Item reliability was .99 (>.80), The iSBI items appeared to be targeted well with the persons (less than .5 logits)

Cronbach's alpha  values :   0.74 in adolescents ( n = 435),  0.71 in adults (n = 1300), 0.71 in older adults (n = 232), 0.86 in Chinese version ( n= 290, Mao et al., 2023)

Administration

The score ranges from 5-50. The higher score, the higher level of that respective character.

Total score of the iSBI can be used to represent the construct of “inner strength.”  

However, individual score of each 10 item can be used independently. As a single item, there is no internal consistency to be calculated. Test-retest may be a better measure of participant consistency (or at least equally as informative as Cronbach’s alpha)(Shen C, et al, 2019). Reliability of each score is examined among 20 participants using two-week test-retest reliability. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with absolute agreement method is analyzed, and the results are shown to be acceptable (ICC > 0.7).

 

Scoring and Interpretations

Norm is estimated in 2505 Thai sample, aged 15-90 years old. 

 

Individual item:

 

Total score of iSBI

Conversion Table:  

Using Rasch analysis, total raw score can be transformed into scale score (0-100) for clinical use especially when used as repeated measure.

For Categorical interpretation:

iSBI score 10 – 20 = low level of strength

iSBI score 21- 39 = Average (21-29 = Average-low, 30-39= average high)

iSBI score 40-50 = high level of strength

   

Reference:

Nahathai Wongpakaran, Tinakon Wongpakaran & Pimolpun Kuntawong (2020) Development and validation of the (inner) Strength-Based Inventory, Mental Health, Religion & Culture, Published online: 09 Jul 2020 :DOI: 10.1080/13674676.2020.1744310

 

Shen C, Wang MP, Ho HCY, Wan A, Stewart SM, Viswanath K, Chan SSC, Lam TH: Test–retest reliability and validity of a single-item Self-reported Family Happiness Scale in Hong Kong Chinese: findings from Hong Kong Jockey Club FAMILY Project. Quality of Life Research 2019, 28(2):535-543.

Factors Associated with Depression, Anxiety, and Somatic Symptoms among International Salespeople in the Medical Device Industry: A Cross-Sectional Study in China - PMC (nih.gov)