A psychometric re-assessment of the COPE questionnaire

The present paper offers a re-analysis of the COPE questionnaire [Carver, C . S., Scheier, M. F. & Weintraub, J. J, (1989). Assessing coping strategies : a theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychol ogy, 56, 267-283], based on analyses of the responses of 587 National Healt h Service employees. The data were analysed both by items and by sub-scales , and used more appropriate factoring techniques. Results showed a clear th ree-factor structure involving rational, emotion-focused and avoidance copi ng, which was similar to other recent coping scales such as the Multidimens ional Coping Inventory [MCI - Endler, N. S. & Parker: D. A. (1990). Multidi mensional assessment of coping: a critical evaluation. Journal of Personali ty, and Social Psychology, 58, 844-854] and the Coping Styles Questionnaire [CSQ - Roger, D., Jarvis, G, & Najarian, B. (1993). Detachment and coping: the construction and validation of a new scale for measuring coping strate gies. Personality and Individual Differences, 15, 619-626]. However, the an alyses also showed that the apparent similarities between the COPE, MCI and CSQ may mask significant underlying differences, which have important impl ications for the way in which coping is assessed. In a further analysis. ra dial parcel analysis [Cattell, R. B. & Burdsal, C. A. (1975). The radial pa rcel double factoring design: a solution to the item-vs-parcel controversy. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 10, 165-191] was used in an attempt to f orce the COPE questions into the original 13 four-item sub-scales, but this failed. A new scoring key is proposed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.