Psychometric Properties of the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

The aim of this research is to adapt the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale to Turkish and perform validity and reliability studies. Participants in the research are comprised of 1,420 university students. Data collection tools include the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, Stress-Coping Styles Scale, and Two-Dimensional Self-Esteem Scale. Data have been analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and t test for independent groups. The exploratory factor analysis identified a 3-factor structure for the scale, which the confirmatory factor analysis confirmed. The correlation analysis, performed for identifying the criterion-based validity, revealed significant negative correlations for university students’ coping self-efficacy with their levels of depression, anxiety and stress and the stress-coping styles used in the hopeless and submissive approaches. However, significant positive correlations were found for coping self-efficacy with the stress-coping styles of self-confident, optimistic, and search for social support as well as with the self-esteem subdimensions of self-love and self-efficacy. The reliability studies for the scale have calculated the internal consistency coefficient as .93 and the split-half test correlation as .91. In light of the obtained findings, the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale is a valid and reliable measurement device that can be used to identify coping self-efficacy of university students in Turkey.