A coping self-insight scale for adults: development and preliminary psychometric properties

Self-insights focused on the coping process are implicated in the refinement of capacities for resilience. To advance this research, we must identify key coping self-insights and develop a concise measurement tool.

The purpose of this paper is to develop evidence for the construct dimensionality and validity of a measure of coping self-insight.

Items measuring 13 coping self-insight dimensions were generated via consultation with theoretical work, subject matter experts, and pre-testing items for clarity. Thereafter, the dimensionality of items was assessed with undergraduate students (N = 232) and an online sample (N = 800) via exploratory and confirmatory analyses. Finally, a multi-trait, multi-method approach was used to test discriminant validity in a further sample of students (N = 228).

The initial item list was reduced to five key dimensions that balanced data-driven and conceptual considerations. Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed moderate-to-strong correlations (r = .47-.80) among dimensions. We also demonstrated evidence of internal reliability, convergent, criterion, and discriminant validity. Invariance tests for sub-groups of interest (e.g., sex, sample type) frequently demonstrated metric or scalar invariance, except for age sub-groups.

Findings offer a starting point regarding the types of coping self-insights important for the emergence of resilience and a validated tool for future research.