Factor structure of the Iranian version of Ways of Coping questionnaire

Background Stress as a negative emotional and psychological process, happens when individuals try to adjust to circumstances that disrupt their daily functioning. One of the influential factors on the interaction between people and stress is their ways of coping. One of the most widely used self-assessment inventories of coping is “Ways of Coping”. Two categories of coping, problem-focused and emotion-focused, can be derived from this questionnaire through eight scales. The reliability and factor structure of the Farsi version of this questionnaire is to be evaluated. Methods Translation from English to Farsi, back translation, cultural adaptation for idioms was performed. A total of 100 Farsi-speaking samples from Tehran were selected by nonprobability sampling technique. Face validity was checked by giving the pre-final version of the questionnaire to 20 native Farsi speaking individuals. Internal consistency, floor and ceiling effect and factor structure of the items in the questionnaire were assessed. Mean scores and relative scores calculated and was compared by demographical characteristics of the sample population. Results Most respondents found the Farsi version of Ways of Coping questionnaire convenient to complete and relevant to their experiences regarding coping strategies. Floor and ceiling effects were observed for some items. Eight factors were extracted, i.e., Planful Problem Solving, Distancing, Escape Avoidance, Self Control, Seeking Social Support, Positive Reappraisal, Positive Thinking and Accepting Responsibility. The eight factors jointly accounted for 61% of the total variance. Cronbach-alpha for the total score was 0.88. Mean score differences of coping scales were not statistically significant between men and women, marital status and age groups. No difference was found for relative scores by demographic characteristics. Positive reappraisal constitutes the highest mean score and relative score, compared to other coping strategies. Conclusions Regarding psychometric properties of the Farsi-version of the Ways of Coping questionnaire, internal consistency was acceptable for the total score, but not acceptable for some of the subscales. The scale items differ between Farsi and English versions, due to the cultural and perceptional differences between two populations. Iranians tend to use Positive Reappraisal as the most frequent coping strategy which is justified by religious norms, cultural traits and beliefs.