The Emotional Approach Coping Scales in Chinese: Validation, Psychometric Properties, and Measurement Invariance

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cross-cultural psychology
• Health psychology

Background:

• Emotion-focused coping research shows inconsistent links to distress due to measurement issues.
• The American Emotional Approach Coping (EAC) scales address these issues but lack a Chinese version.
• EAC is valuable for cross-cultural health models, distinguishing emotion processing from expression to maintain group harmony.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate and validate the Emotional Approach Coping (EAC) scales for Chinese populations.
• To examine the factorial, criterion, and discriminant validity of the Chinese EAC scales.
• To assess measurement invariance between Chinese and American versions of the EAC scales.

Main Methods:

• Translation of the American EAC scales into Chinese.
• Validation study involving 353 Chinese and 491 American participants.
• Analysis of factorial, criterion, and discriminant validity, and measurement invariance.

Main Results:

• Replication of previous validation findings for American EAC scales.
• Demonstration of configural and metric invariance between Chinese and American versions.
• Comparable reliability and validity established for the Chinese EAC scales.
• Fewer gender differences observed in Chinese participants compared to Americans.

Conclusions:

• The Chinese EAC scales are reliable and valid for measuring emotion processing.
• The findings support the cross-cultural applicability of the EAC construct.
• This research facilitates cross-cultural psychological health studies.