The construct validity of scores on the Ways of Coping Questionnaire: Confirmatory analysis of alternative factor structures

One of the most widely used measures of coping is the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ). Despite its widespread use, evidence regarding the construct validity of WCQ scores is limited and inconclusive, due primarily to the use of exploratory factor analyses to examine WCQ data and the absence of evidence regarding the correspondence between the WCQ and coping dimensions specified a priori by Lazarus's transactional theory. The present study uses confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate alternative factor structures for the WCQ, based on previous exploratory factor analyses and a priori coping dimensions derived from Lazarus's theory. Results provide little support for the factor structures examined.