Development of a Coping Scale for Infertility-Women (CSI-W)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a Coping Scale for Infertility-Women (CSI-W). Methods: The initial items were based on an extensive literature review and in-depth interviews with seven infertile women. Forty-three items were derived from a pilot survey. Data were collected from 216 women who had experienced intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in-vitro fertilization (IVF) more than once. The data were analyzed to verify the reliability and validity of the scale. Results: Seven factors containing 28 items (four factors containing 17 items for active coping and three factors containing 11 items for passive coping) were extracted from the exploratory factor analysis to verify the construct validity. The four factors of active coping were confrontation, self-control, seeking social support (spouse), and seeking social support (colleagues and experts). The three factors of passive coping were distancing, escape, and avoidance. These items were verified through convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity testing. The internal consistency reliability was acceptable (active coping: Cronbach's alpha = .78; passive coping: Cronbach's alpha = .81). Conclusion: As its validity and reliability have been verified through various methods, the CSI-W can contribute to assessing the coping strategies of infertile women.