title: A preliminary validation of the Brief COPE instrument for assessing coping strategies among people living with HIV in China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Brief COPE instrument has been utilized to conduct research on various populations, including people living with HIV (PLWH). However, the questionnaire constructs when applied to PLWH have not been subjected to thorough factor validation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 258 PLWH were recruited from two provinces of China. They answered questions involving the scales of three instruments: the Brief COPE, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Perceived Discrimination Scale for PLWH. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CFA found a poor goodness of fit to the data. The subsequent EFA identified six preliminary factors, forming subscales with Cronbach's alphas, which ranged from 0.61 to 0.80. Significant correlation coefficients between the subscales and measures of perceived social support and perceived discrimination were reported, giving preliminary support to the validity of the new empirical factor structure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that the original factor structure of the Brief COPE instrument, when applied to PLWH in China, did not fit the data. Thus, the Brief COPE should be applied to various populations and cultures with caution. The new factor structure established by the EFA is only preliminary and requires further validation.
authors.affiliation: Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-You
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; CUHK Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China. jlau@cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Joseph Tf
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Winnie Ws
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.affiliation: JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; CUHK Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Shenzhen Chronic Disease Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Tie-Jian
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Hunan Province CDC, Hengyang, China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Hengyang City CDC, Hengyang, Hunan Province, China.
authors.forename: Chu-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Hengyang City CDC, Hengyang, Hunan Province, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: The 5th Hospital, Hengyang, Hunan Province, China.
authors.forename: De
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Shenzhen CDC, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Shenzhen CDC, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Jun-Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Shenzhen CDC, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Shenzhen Chronic Disease Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Guang-Lu
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: The 3rd Hospital, Hengyang, Hunan Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhang-Ping
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Shenzhen CDC, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Quan
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult