Effect of inapplicable items in the factor structure of the Spanish version of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire

The aim of this work was to examine how the presence of inapplicable items might change the factor structure of the 1984 Ways of Coping Questionnaire by Lazarus and Folkman. The Spanish version of the Ways of Coping Questionn aire was administered to 156 subjects with university degrees. The 95 women and 61 men whose ages were from 18 and 45 years (M=27.8, SD=12.1) were of middle socioeconomic status. AU were residents of Buenos Aires. To study wh ether relevant items modify the factor structure of the Ways of Coping Ques tionnaire, two factor analyses were carried out, one with items rated as no t relevant (Item Mean) and the other with the same items rated as not chose n. In both factor analyses, principal axes method and oblimin relation were performed, and five factors were considered. Congruence indexes were perfo rmed. Analysis showed that not choosing an item because it does not coincid e with one's behavior or ideas is not the same as not selecting that item b ecause it does not apply to the current threatening situation. Lack of disc rimination between situations when analyzing data leads to a distorted inte rpretation of the way in which the subject actually behaves or copes with t he situation.