28-item measure of effective and ineffective coping strategies during stressful events. ≈ 5 min to complete. Free with attribution.
Brief-COPE (Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess 28-item measure of effective and ineffective coping strategies during stressful events.. It is most often used for 28-item measure of effective and ineffective coping strategies during stressful events.. Typical administration time is ≈ 5 min.
Source / attribution: Free to use with citation
28-item measure of effective and ineffective coping strategies during stressful events. Brief-COPE is part of standard practice in this setting because it provides a structured, replicable assessment that can be tracked over time and compared across patients or visits.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, Brief-COPE is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
14 subscales (2 items each) scored 1-4. Subscale range 2-8. Can group into adaptive and maladaptive coping.
Scoring notes: 14 subscales (2 items each) scored 1-4. Subscale range 2-8. Can group into adaptive and maladaptive coping.
Psychometric figures are drawn from the validation literature and may vary across clinical populations and translations.
If Brief-COPE doesn't fit your context, related instruments in coping include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| BRS | 6-item measure of the ability to bounce back or recover from stress. | 6 | ≈ 1 min |
| CD-RISC | 25-item measure of resilience to stress with five factor structure. | 25 | ≈ 5 min |
| CD-RISC-10 | 10-item brief version of CD-RISC for screening resilience. | 10 | ≈ 2 min |
| PHQ-9 | Severity of depression | 9 | ≈ 3 minutes |
| GAD-7 | Severity of generalized anxiety | 7 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| AUDIT | 10-item WHO screening tool for hazardous alcohol consumption and dependence. | 10 | ≈ 3 min |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | Level of consciousness after head injury | 3 | — |
Brief-COPE (Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced) is a validated instrument that assesses effective and ineffective coping strategies during stressful events. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. It takes about 5 min to complete, and the items are combined to produce a total score.
Brief-COPE typically takes about 5 min to administer. The exact duration varies a little depending on whether it is self-administered or completed with a clinician. Its brief format is part of what makes it practical for routine clinical use and for repeat administration when tracking change over time.
Brief-COPE has reported Cronbach's α of 0.9 in validation samples and test–retest reliability of 0.85. Comprehensive coping assessment; 14 distinct coping strategies. In practical terms, a Cronbach’s α around 0.9 indicates excellent internal consistency (the items hang together well), and a test–retest reliability of 0.85 means scores are strongly stable when the scale is repeated without real clinical change.
Brief-COPE is free to use with attribution — clinical, educational, and research use is permitted provided the original source is credited. If you publish results or reproduce the scale, include the citation to the source paper.
Carver, C. S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol's too long. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 4(1), 92-100. This is the original publication for the Brief-COPE — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. Brief-COPE is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is clinical assessment of effective and ineffective coping strategies during stressful events — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
Brief-COPE is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: