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The Development and Initial Validation of the Adult Coping Inventory

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Abstract

There are few psychometrically sound measures of coping in adults. Widely used measures of coping have highly unstable sub-scale analyses, were developed on homogenous samples, and are outdated. The scarcity of empirically derived instruments is concerning given that coping skills are linked to a variety of positive and negative physical and mental health outcomes (e.g., substance use, depression). Thus, the aim of the current study was to develop a psychometrically sound measure of coping in adults: the Adult Coping Inventory (ACI). The study consisted of three phases: The aim of Phase 1 was to generate an initial item pool. After eliminating redundant items, 124 items remained. The purpose of Phase 2 was to eliminate items based on item frequency and factor loadings. A diverse sample of 526 adults participated in the study. Following item generation and elimination, an exploratory factor analysis produced a 57-item, five-factor model of coping which included the following subscales: Problem Solving, Mindfulness, Maladaptive Coping, Social Support, and Avoidance. Overall, reliability of the ACI was excellent and the internal consistency of the factors ranged from adequate to excellent. Evidence of convergent, concurrent, and incremental validity of the questionnaire was also established. Results provide initial support for the psychometric properties of the ACI.

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Funding

This research was funded by the Louisiana State University Psychology Department.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, 236 Audubon Hall, Baton Rouge, LA, 70802, USA

    Kristen Hollas, Kelsey Coulthard & Mary Lou Kelley

  2. Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Jennifer Piscitello

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  1. Kristen Hollas
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  2. Kelsey Coulthard
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  3. Jennifer Piscitello
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  4. Mary Lou Kelley
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Correspondence to Kristen Hollas.

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Ethical Approval

The questionnaire and methodology for this study was approved by the Human Research Ethics committee of Louisiana State University #E11975.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Patients signed informed consent regarding publishing their data.

Conflicts of Interest

Kristen Hollas, Kelsey Coulthard, Jennifer Piscitello, and Mary Lou Kelley certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

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Hollas, K., Coulthard, K., Piscitello, J. et al. The Development and Initial Validation of the Adult Coping Inventory. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 44, 763–772 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-022-09952-0

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