Factor structure of the Youth Coping In Traumatic Times (YCITT) scale

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to determine if a brief measure of coping strategies administered to children and adolescents after a mass traumatic event — Youth Coping In Traumatic Times (YCITT) — has a factor structure similar to that of a lengthier, widely used scale, the How I Coped Under Pressure Scale (HICUPS). The YCITT was developed for the New York City — Board of Education WTC Study, conducted 6 months after 9/11. Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) were performed in two randomly selected sub-samples of youth in grades 6–12 (sub-sample 1, n = 2249; sub-sample 2, n = 2315). In sub-sample 1, CFA indicated acceptable fit of a four-factor solution based on the HICUPS (distraction, active coping, support seeking and avoidance) and EFA yielded a nearly identical solution. In sub-sample 2, CFA indicated that the fit of the HICUPS-based factor solution and the solution derived from the EFA in sub-sample 1 were very similar, with both indicating acceptable model fit. In conclusion, the brief YCITT has a factor structure, which is similar to that of the HICUPS. When used in large-scale assessments of future mass traumatic events, the measure can provide relevant information about youth coping strategies across four key coping domains.