Development and validation of the paediatric cancer coping scale

The purpose of this study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of the paediatric cancer coping scale in children with cancer.

Coping is a mediator between stressful events and adaptation. However, existing tools cannot be used to assess and understand coping strategies in children with cancer in Taiwan.

A total of 229 children with cancer were recruited from three medical centres in Taiwan in 2008-2009. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were estimated by Cronbach's alpha and intra-class correlation coefficient respectively. The factor structure was determined by exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Pearson's correlation coefficient was employed to test the convergent and discriminate validity.

The paediatric cancer coping scale demonstrated internal consistency (α = 0·91) and a 2-week test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0·86). Its construct validity was confirmed by factor analysis, which extracted and defined three categories of coping strategies: cognitive coping, problem-oriented coping and defensive coping; these three factors explained 40% of the total variance with factor loadings ranging from 0·31 to 0·71. Convergent and discriminate validities were demonstrated by significant correlations among the coping, resilience and anxiety subscales.

The paediatric cancer coping scale is a reliable and valid scale to measure and examine coping strategies in children with cancer.