Assessing Perceived Ability to Cope With Trauma: A Multigroup Validity Study of a 7-Item Coping Self-Efficacy Scale

• Published in: European journal of psychological assessment : official organ of the European Association of Psychological Assessment 2017, Vol.33 (1), p.55-64
• Main Authors: Bosmans, Mark W. G, Komproe, Ivan H, van Loey, Nancy E, van der Knaap, Leontien M, Benight, Charles C, van der Velden, Peter G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Construct Validity; Coping Behavior; Factor Structure; Female; Human; Male; Posttraumatic Stress; Psychometrics; Self-Efficacy; Test Validity
• ISSN: 1015-5759; 2151-2426
• DOI: 10.1027/1015-5759/a000266

Aim of the present study was to examine the construct validity of the trauma-related coping self-efficacy (CSE) scale. While assessing the psychometric properties of this 20-item scale among four different samples (514 victims of disaster, 1325 bereaved individuals, 512 victims of acute critical incidents, 169 severe burn victims), we found no measurement equivalence across groups. A shortened version was composed using only those items that were applicable to all types of potentially traumatic events (PTEs). In contrast to the CSE-20, the CSE-7 has a robust factor structure; factor structure and factor loadings were similar across study samples, indicating that it measured the same construct across different PTEs. These results offer strong support for cross-event construct validity of the CSE-7. Associations of the CSE-7 with posttraumatic stress symptoms showed the same pattern as with the CSE-20, indicating that the reduction in items did not diminish the scales' power to predict posttraumatic stress.