Abstract
The COPE Inventory (Carver et al., 1989) is the most frequently used measure of coping; yet previous studies examining its factor structure yielded mixed results. The purpose of the current study, therefore, was to validate the factor structure of the COPE Inventory in a representative sample of over 2,000 adults in Slovakia. Our second goal was to evaluate the external validity of the COPE inventory, which has not been done before. Firstly, we performed the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with half of the sample. Subsequently, we performed the confirmatory factor analysis with the second half of the sample. Both factor analyses with 15 factor solutions showed excellent fit with the data. Additionally, we performed a hierarchical factor analysis with fifteen first-order factors (acceptance, active coping, behavioral disengagement, denial, seeking emotional support, humor, seeking instrumental support, mental disengagement, planning, positive reinterpretation, religion, restraint, substance use, suppression of competing activities, and venting) and three second-order factors (active coping, social emotional coping, and avoidance coping) which showed good fit with the data. Moreover, the COPE Inventory’s external validity was evaluated using consensual qualitative research (CQR) analysis on data collected by in-depth interviews. Categories of coping created using CQR corresponded with all COPE first-order factors. Moreover, we identified two additional first-order factors that were not present in the COPE Inventory: self-care and care for others. Our study shows that the Slovak translation of the COPE Inventory is a reliable, externally valid, and well-structured instrument for measuring coping in the Slovak population.
Highlights
Our study shows that the Slovak translation of the COPE Inventory is a reliable, externally valid, and well-structured instrument for measuring coping in the Slovak population
Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses With WLSMV Since our representative sample consisted of about 2,000 people, we split it in half to perform both the exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA)
The fifteen-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model had an excellent fit with the data: χ2(1,605) = 5,355.368, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.938, TLI = 0.932, SRMR = 0.055, and RMSEA = 0.047, 90% CI [0.046, 0.049]
Summary
Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses With WLSMV Since our representative sample consisted of about 2,000 people, we split it in half to perform both the exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). We selected six participants from the convenience sample who had the highest scores in coping skills in the majority of the COPE first-order factors. The participants were: a 20-year-old female university student, a 23-year-old female had completed secondary education, a 24-year-old female university student, a 27-year-old female who had completed university education, a 36-year-old female who had completed university education, a 38-yearold woman who had completed university education, a 46-year-old female who had completed university education Since all these highly performing participants were women, we decided to balance the sample by adding two male participants who had the most variability in high coping skills determined by scoring higher than 10 in two first-order factors of the COPE Inventory. Data for Study 2 were collected by conducting two in-depth interviews with each participant focused on the participant’s coping during the COVID-19 pandemic. More example of the new categories can be found in Supplementary Appendix 5
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
