Brief Assessment of Adaptive and Maladaptive Coping Strategies During Pandemic

This study aimed to analyse the internal structure, internal consistency, and convergent and divergent validity for the Coping Strategies Scale. We found a two-factor solution (maladaptive coping;adaptative coping) with a second-order general factor (coping strategies) that demonstrated adequate factorial structure and internal consistency for a brief nine items instrument in a sample of 211 economically active Brazilians (Mage = 37.07;SD = 13.03). The adaptive strategies factor converged with quality of life and work. It also diverged from phobia, stress, and anxiety. Maladaptive coping strategies converged with phobia, stress, and anxiety and diverged from the quality of work and life. According to the results, we found that coping strategies are a vital personal resource to overcome daily adversity, including those from the current pandemic. The present instrument may impact worldwide, offering conditions to investigate and promote mental health positive outcomes by reinforcing coping assessment during pandemics. © 2023, Associação Brasileira de Psicologia.

Evidence of the validity of a Brazilian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale

This study sought to analyze the evidence of the validity of a Brazilian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), based on indicators relating to: (1) the internal structure;(2) the internal consistency;(3) the relation with external variables;and (4) the content. The instrument was culturally adapted, focusing on semantic and specifically Brazilian linguistic aspects. The Brazilian version of the FCV-19S was then applied, in a virtual environment, to 211 participants (72.98% female) with an average age of 37.07 years (SD=13.03), together with the Self-Perception Questionnaire on Mental Health in Pandemics and the Sociodemographic and Functional Questionnaire. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed one-dimensionality. The internal consistency indices obtained (Cronbach's alpha =0.921;McDonald's omega =0.926) can be considered high. The correlation between fear and obsessive thinking of the disease, generalized anxiety, generalized stress, phobic-avoidant behavior and bereavement due to the pandemic was found to be statistically significant. Evidence of the validity related to content, derived from a qualitative approach, were satisfactory. The conclusion drawn is that the Brazilian version of the FCV-19S proved to be adequate regarding the evidence of the expected validity.