Brief COPE
Psychology: Mental HealthReliability: alphas 0.50–0.90 across 14 subscales3 sample items
About this scale
A 28-item measure of 14 coping strategies (2 items each): self-distraction, active coping, denial, substance use, emotional support, instrumental support, behavioural disengagement, venting, positive reframing, planning, humour, acceptance, religion, self-blame.
Sample item(s)
“I've been concentrating my efforts on doing something about the situation I'm in (active)”
“I've been getting emotional support from others (emotional support)”
“I've been making fun of the situation (humour)”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alphas 0.50–0.90 across 14 subscales. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Free for academic use.
Source & citation
Carver, C. S. (1997): You want to measure coping but your protocol's too long: Consider the Brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 92–100.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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