A Psychometric Study of Three Coping Measures

Abstract

This article examines the psychometric properties of three coping inventories: the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, the COPE, and the Coping Strategies Inventory. First, the stability of the factor structure for each inventory was examined using confirmatory factor analysis. Second, confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were used to ascertain the common constructs underlying these coping scales. The results indicate preference for particular factor structures for each coping measure, although none of the factor structures examined provided a strong fit with data in this study. Three general factors were found across the three instruments: Problem Engagement, Avoidance, and Social/Emotional. These results suggest more complex conceptualizations of coping.