Validity of The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations - Short Form (CISS-21) in a Non-Clinical Turkish Sample

Validity of the Coping Inventory For Stressful Situations - Short Form (CISS-21) in a non-clinical Turkish sample Objective: The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) is a promising psychometric instrument with sound psychometric properties. In this study, we aimed to examine psychometric properties of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations-Short Form (CISS-21) in a relatively large Turkish college sample. Method: 978 undergraduates participated in the study. Mean age of the sample was 20.33 (SD +/- 3.17). 33.33 percent of the sample were males (n=326). In the study, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations-Short Form (CISS-21), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWSL) were administered. To explore the validity of the psychometric instrument, confirmatory factor analysis and Pearson's correlations of subscales with psychological variables were computed. Later, internal consistency and test-retest correlations between two applications were obtained 15-day apart to evaluate reliability of the instrument. Results: In the confirmatory factor analysis, three-factor structure model generated root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) value of 0.07, comparative fit index (CFI) value of 0.91, incremental fit index (IFI) value of 0.91, a non-normed fit index (NNFI) value of 0.90, and SMSR value of 0.08. Confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence for the validity of three-factor structure in Turkish sample. Internal consistency estimates for the three dimensions of the scale were as follows: for the Task-oriented coping, alpha=0.72; for the Emotion-oriented coping, alpha= 0.77; and for the Avoidance-oriented coping, a= 0.74. 15-day test-retest correlations for the sub-scales were as follows: for the Task-oriented coping, r=0.79; for the Emotion-oriented coping, r=0.75; and for the Avoidance-oriented coping, r=0.66. Positive affect was significantly associated with Task-oriented coping (r=0.36) and negative affect was significantly associated with Emotion-oriented coping (r=0.44). Conclusion: Confirmatory factor analysis solution replicated the original three-factor structure of the CISS-21 in Turkish college sample. The scale is a valid and reliable instrument to be used in research purposes among Turkish sample.