Brief COPE

What it measures

A 28-item measure of 14 coping strategies, each assessed with 2 items. Covers adaptive (active coping, planning, reframing) and maladaptive (denial, disengagement, self-blame) strategies. The most concise coping inventory relative to breadth of coverage.

Representative items

• I've been trying to come up with a strategy about what to do. (Planning)
• I've been giving up trying to deal with it. (Behavioural Disengagement)
• I've been saying to myself 'this isn't real'. (Denial)
• I've been accepting the reality of the fact that it has happened. (Acceptance)
• I've been looking for something good in what is happening. (Positive Reframing)

Citation

Carver, C.S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol's too long: Consider the Brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4(1), 92–100.