Objective: The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) is a widely used measure of trait coping that was developed to assess three basic coping styles: task-oriented, emotion-oriented, and avoidance-oriented coping. This thesis examined the psychometric properties of a short form for the CISS (CISS-SF). Method: Data from a large longitudinal sample of adults were used to conduct analyses testing the measure's factor structure, internal and test-retest reliabilities, and construct validity with respect to mental health outcomes. Results: The 3-factor model provided acceptable fit to the sample data. Internal reliabilities for the scales were acceptable across multiple administrations (by gender and age), while 1 and 2-year test-retest correlations were also consistent with what would be expected for stable coping style constructs. Relationships were found to be consistent with previous research on coping. Conclusion: Overall, the results suggest that the CISS-SF is a valid and reliable brief multi-dimensional measure of coping styles.
Author Keywords: basic personality, coping, coping styles, mental health, psychometrics