Development and psychometric properties of the Schoolagers' Coping Strategies Inventory

The Schoolagers' Coping Strategies Inventory (SCSI) is a self-report instrument that measures the frequency and effectiveness of children's stress-coping strategies. The SCSI has adequate internal consistency for a new instrument (.79) and moderate test-retest reliability for a changeable construct (.73 to .82). Construct validity was supported by significantly lower coping scores among children with one or more stress-related conditions compared to asymptomatic controls. Factor analysis suggests the SCSI is a one-factor instrument. Low correlations between the SCSI and related but different constructs (stressors and self-esteem) measured by two different methods (self-report and observation) in a multitrait-multimethod matrix showed divergent validity. Convergent validity with the Coping Inventory was not demonstrated.