Factor Structure of the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory in Chinese (Brief-COPE-C) in Caregivers of Children with Chronic Illnesses

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to translate and evaluate the factor structure of the Chinese version of the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief-COPE-C) among the caregivers of children with chronic illnesses.

Design and methods: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 217 caregivers, aged 18 years and older and cared for children with chronic illnesses. All participants were recruited from two local hospitals in Hong Kong using convenience sampling. We excluded caregivers diagnosed with major psychiatric diseases, such as major depression or schizophrenia.

Results: The Brief-COPE-C had good validity and three factors were identified: active coping, distraction, and dysfunctional coping. The content validity index was 0.97, and the item content validity index ranged from 0.83-1 for all 28 items. The Brief-COPE-C had adequate internal consistency. The Cronbach's alpha for the overall scale was 0.89, while the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was 0.876.

Conclusions: The Brief-COPE-C is a valid, reliable, and culturally appropriate tool for measuring coping in caregivers of children with chronic illnesses.

Practice implications: Use of the Brief-COPE-C to assess coping responses of caregivers can facilitate clinicians' and researchers' understanding of how these individuals cope. Hence, appropriate interventions can be implemented to improve caregivers' physical and psychological outcomes.

Keywords: Brief COPE; Caregiver; Coping; Psychometric properties.