Scale Overview & Construct
60-item multidimensional coping inventory assessing 15 conceptually distinct coping strategies (4 items each): Positive Reinterpretation & Growth, Mental Disengagement, Venting, Instrumental Social Support, Active Coping, Denial, Religious Coping, Humor, Behavioral Disengagement, Restraint, Emotional Social Support, Substance Use, Acceptance, Suppression of Competing Activities, and Planning. There is no single total score — each subscale is interpreted individually.
Purpose & Measurement Objectives
Instrument Specifications
Academic Citation & Instrument Provenance
When referencing this instrument in research, academic theses, or clinical institutional audits, please cite the original author publication:
Governance, Boundaries & Ethical Use
Imported from the OpenScales open item-bank project. This specific digital implementation has not been independently clinically validated by PsiQ — scores are for self-reflection, research, and educational purposes only, and are not a diagnosis. Unlike most instruments on this platform, the COPE has no single total score: each of the 15 four-item subscales is meant to be read on its own.
License: free to use for research and adaptation, per the original author (Charles S. Carver: "You are welcome to use all scales of the COPE, or to choose selected scales for use. Feel free as well to adapt the language for whatever time scale you are interested in."). This OpenScales digital implementation is licensed CC BY 4.0. Citation: Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56(2), 267-283. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.56.2.267. This is not a diagnostic tool.