Factor structure and psychometric characteristics of the Icelandic version of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS)

The current investigation was aimed toward evaluating the psychometric properties and confirming the stability in factor structure of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS; Endler & Parker, 1999). An Icelandic edition of the CISS and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Scale (EPQ-R S; Eysenck, Eysenck, & Barrett, 1985) were administered to an Iceland sample of 1251 adolescents (M = 18.91 years, SD = 1.25). Similar to previous findings, high reliability for the subscales of the CISS was indicated via both internal consistency estimates and test–retest correlations. Further, mean level comparisons replicated the pattern of significantly higher levels of coping strategy use by women relative to men. Multiple group confirmatory factor analyses evidenced goodness of fit overall, and between gender groups, for the theoretically grounded three- and four-factor models of the CISS, indicating similarities across gender in item:factor relationships. Correlations between the CISS subscales and neuroticism and extraversion extended empirical support for the construct validity of the subscales. These findings speak to the robustness of the CISS, in revealing its relatively stable structure, and consequently, to its potential usefulness internationally as a valid measure of coping styles.