Ways of Coping Scale
View PDF - Ways of Coping Scale_Folkman.pdf
Folkman, S., Lazarus, R. S., Dunkel-Schetter, C., DeLongis, A., & Gruen, R. J. (1986). Dynamics of a stressful encounter: Cognitive appraisal, coping, and encounter outcomes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50(5), 992-1003.
4-point Likert scale: 0 = does not apply and/or not used; 1 = used somewhat; 2 = used quite a bit; 3 = used a great deal
Scale 1: Confrontive coping (a = .70)
46. Stood my ground and fought for what I wanted.
7. Tried to get the person responsible to change his or her mind.
17. I expressed anger to the person(s) who caused the problem.
28. I let my feelings out somehow.
34. Took a big chance or did something very risky.
6. I did something which I didn't think would work, but at least I was doing something.
Scale 2: Distancing (a = .61)
44. Made light of the situation; refused to get too serious about it.
13. Went on as if nothing had happened.
41. Didn't let it get to me; refused to think about it too much.
21. Tried to forget the whole thing.
15. Looked for the silver lining, so to speak; tried to look on the bright side of things.
12. Went along with fate; sometimes I just have bad luck.
Scale 3: Self-controlling (a = .70)
14. I tried to keep my feelings to myself. .55
43. Kept others from knowing how bad things were.
10. Tried not to burn my bridges, but leave things open somewhat.
35. I tried not to act too hastily or follow my first hunch.
54. I tried to keep my feelings from interfering with other things too much.
62. I went over in my mind what I would say or do.
63. I thought about how a person I would admire would handle the situation and used that as a model.
Scale 4: Seeking social support (a = .76)
8. Talked to someone to find out more about the situation.
31. Talked to someone who could do something concrete about the problem.
42. I asked a relative or friend I respected for advice.
45. Talked to someone about how I was feeling.
18. Accepted sympathy and understanding from someone.
22. I got professional help.
Scale 5: Accepting responsibility (a = .66)
9. Criticized or lectured myself.
29. Realized I brought the problem on myself.
51.1 made a promise to myself that things would be different next time.
25. I apologized or did something to make up.
Scale 6: Escape-Avoidance (a = .72)
58. Wished that the situation would go away or somehow be over with.
11. Hoped a miracle would happen.
59. Had fantasies about how things might turn out.
33. Tried to make myself feel better by eating, drinking, smoking, using drugs or medication, and so forth.
40. Avoided being with people in general.
50. Refused to believe that it had happened.
47. Took it out on other people.
16. Slept more than usual.
Scale 7: Planful problem-solving (a = .68)
49. I knew what had to be done, so I doubled my efforts to make things work.
26. I made a plan of action and followed it.
1. Just concentrated on what I had to do next—the next step.
39. Changed something so things would turn out all right.
48. Drew on my past experiences; I was in a similar position before.
52. Came up with a couple of different solutions to the problem.
Scale 8: Positive reappraisal (a = .79)
23. Changed or grew as a person in a good way.
30. I came out of the experience better than when I went in.
36. Found new faith.
38. Rediscovered what is important in life.
60. I prayed.
56. I changed something about myself.
20. I was inspired to do something creative.
Cronbach's alpha varies from 0.61 to 0.79 for various subscales.
Construct validity is established in Endler, N. S., & Parker, J. D. A. (1990). Multidimensional assessment of coping: A critical evaluation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58(5), 844-854.
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Individuals may use this information for research or educational purposes only and may not use this information for commercial purposes. When using this instrument, please cite:
Folkman, S., Lazarus, R. S., Dunkel-Schetter, C., DeLongis, A., & Gruen, R. J. (1986). Dynamics of a stressful encounter: Cognitive appraisal, coping, and encounter outcomes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50(5), 992-1003.
When presenting results using any survey information you obtained from the SABI, please acknowledge the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), an NIH funded program P30 AI50410.