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Updated: May 23, 2026
07:26
Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm
Published on: May 4, 2020
Development of the Coping Flexibility Scale: evidence for the coping flexibility hypothesis.
1Department of Social Psychology, Toyo University, 5-28-20 Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8606, Japan. mtsukasa@hotmail.com
Journal of Counseling Psychology
|April 18, 2012
Summary
Flexible coping, the ability to switch between coping strategies, improves psychological health. Developing the Coping Flexibility Scale (CFS) validated this approach for better mental well-being.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Coping flexibility involves shifting from ineffective to adaptive coping strategies.
- The Coping Flexibility Scale (CFS) was developed to measure this construct.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the CFS in Japanese samples.
- To test the hypothesis that coping flexibility leads to more adaptive psychological outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Five studies with approximately 4,400 participants (college students and employees).
- Psychometric evaluation of the CFS for reliability and validity.
- Correlational analyses examining the association between coping flexibility and psychological health indicators.
Main Results:
- The CFS demonstrated good reliability and validity in Japanese populations.
- Flexible coping was positively associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and distress.
- Coping flexibility predicted reduced future depression, independent of other coping measures.
Conclusions:
- The CFS is a valid measure for assessing coping flexibility.
- Flexible coping is a significant contributor to improved psychological health and well-being.
- Findings support the clinical application of promoting coping flexibility.
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