COPE Inventory (Carver, Scheier & Weintraub)
Psychology: Mental HealthReliability: alphas 0.45–0.92 across 15 subscales3 sample items
About this scale
A 60-item measure of coping strategies across 15 subscales: active coping, planning, suppression of competing activities, restraint, instrumental support, emotional support, positive reinterpretation, acceptance, denial, religion, focus on emotion, behavioural disengagement, mental disengagement, alcohol/drug use, and humour.
Sample item(s)
“I take additional action to try to get rid of the problem (active coping)”
“I try to come up with a strategy about what to do (planning)”
“I get upset and let my emotions out (focus on emotion)”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alphas 0.45–0.92 across 15 subscales. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Foundational coping measure; Brief COPE is the modern short form.
Source & citation
Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K. (1989): Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 56, No. 2, pp. 267–283.
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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