title: Proactive coping poststroke: psychometric properties of the Utrecht Proactive Coping Competence Scale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine psychometric properties of the Utrecht Proactive Coping Competence scale (UPCC) and explore relations of proactive coping with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and characteristics of patients with stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study. Reliability and convergent validity, and associations with HRQOL and characteristics of patients with stroke were examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inpatient and outpatient settings of hospitals and rehabilitation centers in The Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with stroke (N=55; mean age, 58.7±12.8y; mean months since stroke, 25.0± 38.5).
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  UPCC, Utrecht Coping List (UCL), and the short Stroke Specific Quality of Life scale (SS-QOL-12).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The UPCC showed excellent reliability (Cronbach's α=.95) without floor/ceiling effects or skewed score distribution. Convergent validity was shown by moderate positive relations with the UCL subscale active problem solving (r=.38) and moderate negative relations with the UCL subscales passive reactions (r=-.50), avoidance (r=-.40), and expression of emotions (r=-.42). Correlations between the UPCC and HRQOL domains were moderate to strong (r=.48-.61) and stronger than those between UCL subscales and HRQOL domains. The only characteristic of patients with stroke associated with proactive coping was time after stroke (r=-.52).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The UPCC appears reliable and valid for patients with stroke. Moreover, we found positive associations between proactive coping and HRQOL. Future research is recommended to confirm our results and to explore ways to enhance proactive coping in patients with stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus and Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht and Rehabilitation Center De Hoogstraat, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nienke S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Tielemans
authors.affiliation: Brain Center Rudolf Magnus and Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht and Rehabilitation Center De Hoogstraat, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johanna M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Visser-Meily
authors.affiliation: Brain Center Rudolf Magnus and Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht and Rehabilitation Center De Hoogstraat, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Vera P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Schepers
authors.affiliation: Brain Center Rudolf Magnus and Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht and Rehabilitation Center De Hoogstraat, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marcel W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Post
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: c.vanheugten@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: Caroline M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: van Heugten
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Adaptation, psychological; Psychometrics; Quality of life; Rehabilitation; Stroke