Abstract
The purpose of this article is to introduce thePsychological Vulnerability Scale (PVS), a six-itemmeasure of a set of cognitions that promote harmfulreactions to stress. Maladaptive cognitive reactions tointerpersonal events can affect coping behavior andpsychological and physical well-being. A measure ofpsychological vulnerability that reflects detrimentalcognitive beliefs could be valuable in identifyingindividuals most in need of cognitive-behavioralinterventions. Three samples (ns = 90, 138, and 137) ofindividuals with rheumatoid arthritis provide evidencefor the reliability and validity of the PVS, which has adequate internal consistency and test-retestreliability. Convergent validity of the scale isdemonstrated by positive correlations with measures ofperceived helplessness, negative affect, maladaptive pain coping behaviors, and disease activity,and negative correlations with measures of positiveaffect, life satisfaction, adaptive pain-copingbehaviors, perceived social support, and personal coping resources such as self-efficacy. Thesensitivity of the PVS to cognitive-behavioralintervention is also demonstrated.
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