Purpose: The goal was to present preliminary research results on how parents cope with the illness of a child using the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP) after it had been culturally adapted and its psychometric properties evaluated.
Design and methods: Taking part in the study were 459 parents of children with asthma (n = 230) or suffering pain (n = 229).A.
Results: The content validity of the coefficient of variation ratio (CVR) for each item on the scale ranged from 0.84 to 1.00. Exploratory factor analysis by principal components method with Equamax rotation confirmed the three-factor structure of the test. THe theoretical validity of the tool was confirmed by intercorrelation matrix analysis, and the criterion validity of the CHIP test was evaluated based on analysis of intergroup differences regarding individual measurements of coping by parents of children diagnosed with asthma but differentiated by need of regular medication. CHIP has high Cronbach alpha coefficients values: 0.80-0.86. Results indicate that the children's parents rate as moderately helpful the Support (2.23, ± 0.60) and Family (2.17, ± 0.55) styles. Parents rated the Medical style as least helpful in coping (1.75, ± 0,59).
Conclusions: This study confirms both the accuracy and the reliability of the CHIP test, and the obtained coefficient values indicate that the tool can be used for individual and for scientific research.
Practice implications: The study shows that assessment of the manner of a parent's coping with the illness of a child is influenced by the child's gender and place of residence.
Keywords: Adolescents; CHIP; Illness; Instrument validation; Parental coping.
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