Abstract
Purpose. The 28-item Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief COPE) is a widely used instrument assessing coping strategies among adults, but its reported factor structure has ranged from 2 to 15 factors across populations (Solberg et al., 2022), raising concerns about structural stability. Only one study has applied item response theory (IRT) to examine item-level performance in cancer patients and caregivers (Baumstarck et al., 2017). Thus, this study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Brief COPE among low-income parents using factor analysis and IRT.
Methods. We analyzed baseline data from three clinical trials conducted between 2021 and 2024. Participants were parents of preschoolers enrolled in Head Start programs in the Midwestern U.S. Parents completed an online Qualtrics survey measuring demographics and coping strategies.
Results. The sample included 348 parents (Mage=30.89 years), randomly divided into two subsamples: one for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the other for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). EFA suggested a four-factor structure after removing four items due to high inter-item correlations or cross-loadings: adaptive coping, support coping, avoidant coping, and religious coping. CFA demonstrated good fit: CFI=0.92, TLI=0.91, RMSEA=0.06 (90% CI: 0.05–0.07), and SRMR=0.08. Internal consistency was strong (α=0.88, 0.81, 0.86, 0.81). Most items showed adequate difficulty and discrimination, while several appeared redundant. Information curves were unimodal. Response option “3” was under-endorsed across multiple items, and several items had sparsely used options, indicating the need to collapse or revise categories.
Conclusions. Findings provide robust evidence for a reliable four-factor, 24-item Brief COPE in low-income parents. Item- and option-level performance varies, suggesting targeted item consolidation and response-option refinement could further improve the scale’s psychometric robustness. Future efforts should implement these revisions and cross-validate the refined scale in independent samples.
Notes
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References:
Baumstarck, K., et al. (2017). Assessment of coping: a new french four-factor structure of the brief COPE inventory. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 15(1), 8.
Solberg, M. A., et al. (2022). The factor structure of the Brief COPE: A systematic review. West J Nurs Res, 44(6), 612-627.
Sigma Membership
Alpha Psi
Lead Author Affiliation
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Instrument and Tool Development, Public and Community Health, Stress and Coping, Parents--Psychosocial Factors
Recommended Citation
Ling, Jiying; Xu, Dongjuan; Xie, Yingcen; and Liu, Wen, "Psychometric Evaluation of the 28-Item Brief COPE Scale Among Low-Income Parents" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 44.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/44
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-07-24
Funder
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
Second Funder
National Institute of Nursing Research
Third Funder
Michigan Health Endowment Fund
Psychometric Evaluation of the 28-Item Brief COPE Scale Among Low-Income Parents
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Purpose. The 28-item Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief COPE) is a widely used instrument assessing coping strategies among adults, but its reported factor structure has ranged from 2 to 15 factors across populations (Solberg et al., 2022), raising concerns about structural stability. Only one study has applied item response theory (IRT) to examine item-level performance in cancer patients and caregivers (Baumstarck et al., 2017). Thus, this study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Brief COPE among low-income parents using factor analysis and IRT.
Methods. We analyzed baseline data from three clinical trials conducted between 2021 and 2024. Participants were parents of preschoolers enrolled in Head Start programs in the Midwestern U.S. Parents completed an online Qualtrics survey measuring demographics and coping strategies.
Results. The sample included 348 parents (Mage=30.89 years), randomly divided into two subsamples: one for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the other for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). EFA suggested a four-factor structure after removing four items due to high inter-item correlations or cross-loadings: adaptive coping, support coping, avoidant coping, and religious coping. CFA demonstrated good fit: CFI=0.92, TLI=0.91, RMSEA=0.06 (90% CI: 0.05–0.07), and SRMR=0.08. Internal consistency was strong (α=0.88, 0.81, 0.86, 0.81). Most items showed adequate difficulty and discrimination, while several appeared redundant. Information curves were unimodal. Response option “3” was under-endorsed across multiple items, and several items had sparsely used options, indicating the need to collapse or revise categories.
Conclusions. Findings provide robust evidence for a reliable four-factor, 24-item Brief COPE in low-income parents. Item- and option-level performance varies, suggesting targeted item consolidation and response-option refinement could further improve the scale’s psychometric robustness. Future efforts should implement these revisions and cross-validate the refined scale in independent samples.
Description
This study examined the factor structure and item performance of the 28-item Brief COPE among 348 low-income parents. Results support a four-factor structure with good internal consistency reliability: adaptive coping, support coping, avoidant coping, and religious coping, though revisions at the item and response-option levels may be warranted.