Psychometric properties of the Hurricane Coping Self-Efficacy measure following Hurricane Katrina

The Hurricane Coping Self-Efficacy (HCSE) measure is a validated tool for assessing self-efficacy appraisals after hurricanes. Data were collected 6 months after Hurricane Katrina from 1542 employed residents of New Orleans, and 181 participants randomly selected to complete a repeat survey to confirm the psychometric properties of the HCSE measure. Overall, coping self-efficacy was greater among men, the most educated and those with the highest income. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated a relatively good fit of the HCSE items into a single construct, with Bentler's comparative fit and McDonald's centrality index scores of 0.92 and 0.87, respectively. The repeatability of scores was high (Pearson's correlation = 0.70). Additionally, HCSE scores were highly correlated with validated scales of perceived stress and posttraumatic stress symptoms, and significantly lower scores were observed among participants who sought counseling after the storm. The HCSE measure exhibited excellent internal consistency, external validity and repeatability after Hurricane Katrina.